Frank Conroy (January 15, 1936 – April 6, 2005) was an American author, born in New York, New York to an American father and a Danish mother. He published five books, including the highly acclaimed memoir Stop-Time. Published in 1967, this ultimately made Conroy a noted figure in the literary world. The book was nominated for the National Book Award.Conroy graduated from Haverford College, and was director of the influential Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa for 18 years, from 1987 until 2005, where he was also F. Wendell Miller Professor. He was previously the director of the literature program at the National Endowment for the Arts from 1982 to 1987.Conroy's published works included: the memoir Stop-Time; a collection of short stories, Midair; a novel, Body and Soul, which is regarded as one of the finest evocations of the experience of being a musician; a collection of essays and commentaries, Dogs Bark, but the Caravan Rolls On: Observations Then and Now; and a travelogue, Time and Tide: A Walk Through Nantucket. His fiction and non-fiction appeared in such journals as The New Yorker, Esquire, GQ, Harper's Magazine and Partisan Review. He was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government.In addition to writing, Conroy was an accomplished jazz pianist, winning a Grammy Award in 1986 for liner notes. His book Dogs Bark, But the Caravan Rolls On: Observations Then and Now includes articles that describe jamming with Charles Mingus and with Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman. The latter session occurred when Conroy was writing about the Rolling Stones for Esquire. Conroy had arrived at a mansion for the interview, found nobody there, and eventually sat down at a grand piano and began to play. Someone wandered in, sat down at the drums, and joined in with accomplished jazz drumming; then a fine jazz bassist joined in. They turned out to be Watts and Wyman, whom Conroy did not recognize until they introduced themselves after the session.Conroy died of colon cancer on April 6, 2005, in Iowa City, Iowa, at the age of 69. The Frank Conroy Reading Room in the Dey House, the home of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, was named in his honor.Conroy is the subject of Mentor: A Memoir by Tom Grimes, his former student at the Iowa Writers Workshop and long-time friend.
January 15, 1936, New York City, New York, United States
Died
April 6, 2005, Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Place Of Birth
Derby, Derbyshire, England, UK
Height
5' 10½" (1.79 m)
Profession
Actor
Education
Haverford College (1958)
Spouse
Maggie Lee (m. ?–2005), Patty Ferguson
Awards
Grammy Award for Best Album Notes
Star Sign
Libra
#
Fact
1
Survived by his widow, Ruth, and a son, Richard.
2
English-born character actor who played figures of authority. Easily his best performance was as the hate-driven former Confederate Major Tetley, leading the lynch mob in 'The Ox-Bow Incident' (1943).
3
Received the 1957 'Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic)' Tony Award for his performance in Graham Greene's "The Potting Shed".
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Power and the Glory
1961
TV Movie
Padre José
Play of the Week
1959-1961
TV Series
Father William Califer / Canon Matt Lavelle
The Bramble Bush
1960
Dr. Sol Kelsey
Art Carney Special
1960
TV Series
Sunday Showcase
1960
TV Series
The United States Steel Hour
1958-1959
TV Series
Arturo Benevida / Dr. Grebe / Mr. Wickens
The Young Philadelphians
1959
Doctor Shippen Stearnes
The Last Mile
1959
O'Flaherty
Playhouse 90
1958
TV Series
Ty Tyburn
Kraft Theatre
1957-1958
TV Series
All the King's Men
1958
TV Movie
Little Moon of Alban
1958
TV Movie
Father Curran
The Day the Earth Stood Still
1951
Mr. Harley (uncredited)
Lightning Strikes Twice
1951
J.D. Nolan
The Threat
1949
District Attorney Barker MacDonald
Mighty Joe Young
1949
Reporter (uncredited)
The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
1948
TV Series
The Snake Pit
1948
Dr. Jonathan Gifford
Sealed Verdict
1948
Col. Pike
Rogues' Regiment
1948
Colonel Lemercier
For the Love of Mary
1948
Samuel Litchfield
All My Sons
1948
Herbert Deever
The Naked City
1948
Capt. Donahue
That Hagen Girl
1947
Dr. Stone
The Ox-Bow Incident
1943
Major Tetley
Lady of Burlesque
1943
'Stacchi' Stacciaro
Crash Dive
1943
Capt. Bryson (uncredited)
The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe
1942
John Allan
Crossroads
1942
Defense Attorney (uncredited)
The Adventures of Martin Eden
1942
Carl Brissenden
This Woman Is Mine
1941
First Mate Fox
Wells Fargo
1937
Ward - Banker
The Last Gangster
1937
Sid Gorman
Music for Madame
1937
Morton Harding
The Emperor's Candlesticks
1937
Colonel Radoff
Big Business
1937
Leland Whitney
This Is My Affair
1937
President William McKinley
That I May Live
1937
Pop
Nancy Steele Is Missing!
1937
Dan Mallon
Love Is News
1937
A.G. Findlay
Stolen Holiday
1937
Dupont
Charlie Chan at the Opera
1936
Mr. Whitely
The Gorgeous Hussy
1936
John C. Calhoun
Meet Nero Wolfe
1936
Dr. Nathaniel Bradford
The White Angel
1936
Mr. Le Froy
Nobody's Fool
1936
Jake Cavendish
Show Them No Mercy!
1935
Reed
The Last Days of Pompeii
1935
Gaius Tanno
She Couldn't Take It
1935
Attorney Henry Raleigh (uncredited)
I Live My Life
1935
Doctor
Call of the Wild
1935
John Blake
Dante's Inferno
1935
Defense Attorney (uncredited)
Charlie Chan in Egypt
1935
Prof. John Thurston
West Point of the Air
1935
Captain Cannon
Death Flies East
1935
Undetermined Role (scenes deleted)
The Little Minister
1934
Lord Rintoul
365 Nights in Hollywood
1934
Studio Executive (uncredited)
The White Parade
1934
Dr. Thorne
I'll Fix It
1934
District Attorney (uncredited)
Evelyn Prentice
1934
Dist. Atty. Farley
Wednesday's Child
1934
The Judge
The Captain Hates the Sea
1934
State's Attorney (uncredited)
Return of the Terror
1934
Prosecuting Attorney
Such Women Are Dangerous
1934
Bronson
Little Miss Marker
1934
Doctor Ingalls
Sadie McKee
1934
Dr. Briggs (uncredited)
Manhattan Melodrama
1934
Defense Attorney
Upperworld
1934
Paul--Stream's Attorney (uncredited)
The Crime Doctor
1934
Martin Crowder
Keep 'Em Rolling
1934
Captain R.G. Deane
The Cat and the Fiddle
1934
Theatre Owner
Frontier Marshal
1934
George 'Oscar' Reid
The Kennel Murder Case
1933
Brisbane Coe
Ace of Aces
1933
Maj. / Lt. Col. Wentworth
Night Flight
1933
Radio Operator
Storm at Daybreak
1933
Archduke Franz Ferdinand (uncredited)
Midnight Mary
1933
District Attorney
The Man Who Dared
1933
Con Artist (uncredited)
Ann Carver's Profession
1933
Baker (uncredited)
Grand Hotel
1932/I
Rohna
Disorderly Conduct
1932
Tony Alsotto
Manhattan Parade
1931
Bill Brighton
West of Broadway
1931
Judge Barham
Possessed
1931
Travers
Bad Company
1931
Markham King
Hell Divers
1931
Chaplain
The Royal Family of Broadway
1930
Gilmore Marshall
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us
2005
TV Movie documentary
Mr. Harley (uncredited)
Fonda on Fonda
1992
TV Movie documentary
Major Tetley (uncredited)
Henry Fonda: The Man and His Movies
1982
TV Movie documentary
Actor in 'The Ox-Bow Incident (uncredited)
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Henry Fonda