Robert E. Sherwood.

Robert Emmet Sherwood was born on April 4, 1896, in New Rochelle, New York, to Rosina Emmet Sherwood and Arthur Murray Sherwood. He attended the Fay School and Milton Academy before enrolling at Harvard University. World War I interrupted his education; he served with the Canadian Black Watch and was wounded in France.

Sherwood’s career began as a movie critic at Vanity Fair and Life magazines. His first movie writing job came in 1924, rewriting subtitles for The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923. The success of his play The Road to Rome in 1927 allowed him to become a full-time writer.

He collaborated with major talents like Alexander Korda, George S. Kaufman, and Samuel Goldwyn, often without credit. During WWII, he served as director of the overseas branch of the Office of War Information, resigning in 1944. He returned to film writing and won an Oscar for his script for The Best Years of Our Lives 1946. He also won Pulitzer Prizes for his plays Idiot’s Delight 1936, Abe Lincoln in Illinois 1939, and There Shall Be No Night 1941, as well as a Pulitzer for Biography in 1949.

He married twice: first to Mary Brandon and later to Madeline Hurlock. His sister Rosamond Sherwood was his only sibling. At 6 feet 8 inches, he was physically imposing. He co-founded the Algonquin Round Table, dining with Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and others.

His influence on American theater and film is evident. His play Abe Lincoln in Illinois shaped public perception of Abraham Lincoln. In 1949, he won the Bancroft Prize for distinguished writing in American history. He is best remembered for his four Pulitzer Prizes and his Oscar-winning screenplay for The Best Years of Our Lives, which captured the struggles of returning WWII veterans.