The Life of John Hansberry

If you’re a fan of television, you probably have heard of the popular actor John Hansberry. He is the star of a number of popular shows on network TV, such as Friends, The Walking Dead, and Heroes. As a result, he is one of the wealthiest stars in Hollywood. Here’s a look at his personal and professional life.

Early Life and Education

Lorraine Hansberry is a black lesbian and bisexual woman writer who was born in Chicago. Her parents were civil rights activists. She attended high school in Chicago and studied art. In 1950, she moved to New York City, where she began to write.

During her lifetime, Hansberry was a member of the Civil Rights Movement. She wrote for the progressive Black newspaper Freedom, and was a member of the Daughters of Bilitis.

She also contributed letters to The Ladder magazine. After she died in 1965, her husband adapted her writings into a play. When her ex-husband introduced the play in 1994, he included scenes from the original film production.

When she was younger, she studied painting in Mexico and Chicago. She graduated from Englewood High School in 1948.

Professional Career

Lorraine Hansberry’s career as a writer began in earnest with her play “A Raisin in the Sun,” which premiered on Broadway in 1959. Her play’s success gave Hansberry a prominent place in the civil rights movement. It also prompted harsh criticism.

Although she was met with derision when she first opened her play, she became one of the most influential African American playwrights of the twentieth century. She received the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for her work, becoming the first black woman to do so.

In addition to her playwriting career, Hansberry was involved in several other projects. She wrote for the Pan-Africanist newspaper Freedom and worked with W.E.B. DuBois and Paul Robeson.

A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by an African American to be produced on the main stage of a major theatre. The play drew on Lorraine Hansberry’s family’s legal struggles with racial covenants. As a result, the play was criticized for being too cerebral.

Achievements and Honors

In 1963, Lorraine Hansberry was involved in the civil rights movement. She became a member of the Daughters of Bilitis. She also joined Paul Robeson’s progressive Black newspaper Freedom.

In 1964, she gave a speech at the Town Hall forum in New York. She met with attorney general Robert Kennedy and tried to test his position on the civil rights issue. The case involving restrictive covenants and segregation was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States. It was decided that restrictive covenants were illegal and segregation could no longer be enforced.

By 1970, the play had been published in book form. During her lifetime, she received numerous awards and honors. Some of her awards included a Kiwanis Golden Trowel Award and a National Conference of Community Justice Brotherhood Award.

Personal Life

The personal life of Lorraine Hansberry is filled with contradictions. She grew up in a middle class African-American family, but was aware of discrimination against African-Americans in the United States. Her parents were civil rights activists. They contributed large sums to the NAACP. But when she was five years old, she was sent to a public school.

In her spare time, Hansberry wrote. Some of her pieces discussed lesbianism and homosexuality. Afterward, she became a committed Marxist. However, she never officially joined the Communist Party USA. This was because she did not want to upset her family.

Hansberry left for New York City in 1950. While in the city, she studied painting in Mexico. She was also a member of the Daughters of Bilitis.

Net Worth

The net worth of Lorraine Hansberry is estimated at $5 million. She died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 34. Her accomplishments include being the first black woman to write a play for the Broadway stage and the author of an autobiographical play about her life. One of her better known works, A Raisin in the Sun, was nominated for an Emmy award.

She is the daughter of the late real estate mogul Carl Augustus Hansberry. During her lifetime, she made her mark as an actress, director and writer. In fact, her autobiographical play, A Raisin in the Sun, inspired a song. She also worked with Paul Robeson and W. E. B. Du Bois. As far as accolades go, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2013.

There are several factors that determine her total fortune. Her biggest income source is her writing. She also has a significant equity stake in Revolt TV. Another source of her wealth is her marriage to actress Rebecca Romijn. They married in 1998 and split in 2005.