Hellman, Lillian
Hellman, Lillian ( 1905 – 84 ),American dramatist, screenwriter, librettist, and writer of memoirs, born in New Orleans. She was for many years the partner of Dashiell Hammett , and with him was accused of un-American activities during the McCarthy period. Her plays include The Children's Hour ( 1934 ), set in a girls' school, in which two teachers are accused by a malicious pupil of having a lesbian relationship, and lose the libel action they take against her grandmother; The Little Foxes ( 1939 ), a family melodrama set in 1900 in the deep South, and Watch on the Rhine ( 1941 ), an anti-Nazi war drama set near Washington. Other works include Pentimento: A Book of Portraits ( 1973 ), an account of friendships with various people, including ‘Julia’, filmed as Julia ( 1977 ), with Vanessa Redgrave .
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