Clifford Odets, a trailblazing playwright and actor, left high school in pursuit of his artistic ambitions. In the 1930s, he became a founding member of the renowned Group Theatre, a company renowned for its "Method" acting style, co-founded by Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, and Cheryl Crawford.
Odets' meteoric rise to fame began with his play "Waiting for Lefty" in 1935, swiftly earning him the title of the most celebrated young playwright in America. Over the next four years, he penned five more remarkable plays, including "Awake and Sing!", "Golden Boy", and "Rocket to the Moon", whose dramatic flair perfectly suited the Group's exuberant style.
Odets' personal life was marked by tumultuous relationships. He married actress Luise Rainer, but their union was brief. Between reconciliations with Rainer, he had a passionate affair with actress Frances Farmer. His other conquests included Fay Wray and numerous other women, including stage actress Betty Grayson, whom he later married.
In 1934, Odets joined the American Communist Party, but his membership was short-lived. In 1952, he was summoned to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee as a "friendly witness". Odets publicly renounced Communism and provided the names of fellow party members who had already been mentioned in previous testimony, but refused to provide any new information to the committee.
Despite his involvement with the Communist Party, Odets was not blacklisted by the HUAC.
