Artist Profile
A Southerner, Harling moved to New York to pursue a theatrical career after first obtaining a law degree. He landed work in regional theater and as a voice-over artist for radio and TV commercials before turning to writing. When his sister Susan died of complications from diabetes, he was inspired to write his first play, Steel Magnolias. Producer Ray Stark purchased the screen rights and Harling set about adapting the piece. Harling wrote the hilarious spoof Soapdish , about a soap opera diva whose off-screen life was as outrageous as her onscreen one. He also adapted The First Wives Club and made his directorial debut later that same year with The Evening Star, based on Larry McMurtry’s novel.