Photo: glenda liza reginaldo / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
David Henry Hwang is, to me, one of the boldest voices in American theater. A Chinese American from Los Angeles, Stanford-educated, he used M. Butterfly to dismantle Western fantasies about the East, and that intellectual nerve is what I admire most. Three Obie Awards, a Tony, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a professorship at Columbia all attest to his stature, yet the prizes are not the point. What stays with me is his willingness to wrestle, in public, with identity, perception, and the politics of representation rather than play it safe. He writes with a strong spine, and I have enormous respect for storytellers who do.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- David Henry Hwang
- Name (Japanese)
- デビッド・ヘンリー・ファン
- Reading
- でびっど・へんりー・ふぁん
- Born
- August 11, 1957 (age 68)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Rooster
- Origin
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Occupation
- dramaturge / screenwriter / actor / writer / librettist
2. Background
- High school
- San Gabriel High School
- University
- Stanford University
Awards & achievements
- Guggenheim Fellowship
- star on Playwrights' Sidewalk
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | FOB | — | |
| Notable work | M. Butterfly | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was David Henry Hwang born?
Born August 11, 1957 (age 68).
Where is David Henry Hwang from?
David Henry Hwang is from Los Angeles, California, United States.
What does David Henry Hwang do?
David Henry Hwang works as dramaturge, screenwriter, actor, writer, librettist.
What is David Henry Hwang known for?
Notable works include FOB, M. Butterfly.
Screenwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.