Nick Enright

, c. 1976 (printed 2004)

Nick Enright (1950-2003), playwright and screenwriter, attended Sydney University and the New York University School of the Arts before establishing himself as a dramatist with plays such as Summer Rain and Mongrels. His scripts for film and television included Come in Spinner (1990), a film adaptation of his own play Blackrock (1997), and an Oscar-nominated screenplay for Lorenzo's Oil (1992), co-written with director George Miller. After the success of that venture Enright was deluged by offers from Hollywood; but he elected to remain in Australia, where among other projects he wrote the stage hit The Boy From Oz (1998), based on the life of Peter Allen, and currently playing on Broadway in a revised version starring Hugh Jackman. He also wrote an acclaimed adaptation of Tim Winton's Cloudstreet (2001). His distinguished teaching career included a stint as the Head of the acting course at NIDA (1993-94). He died in March 2003 after a year-long battle with skin cancer.