Tennessee Williams was the pen name of Thomas Lanier Williams III, an American playwright and screenwriter who is considered one of the greatest American playwrights of the 20th century. His plays, including The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, are among the most acclaimed Broadway dramas and have been adapted into films. Williams's work explored the South's decay beneath its charming facade, difficult women, and queerness.