Phyllis Nagy

Phyllis Nagy is an American lesbian playwright and screenwriter who found her footing in London, where she moved in 1992 and became writer-in-residence at the Royal Court Theatre under Stephen Daldry after struggling to get produced in the US. Her plays include Weldon Rising (1992), about a gay man in New York's meatpacking district grieving his murdered lover, and Butterfly Kiss (1994). She is best known for writing the screenplay of Carol (2015), based on Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt -- one of the most celebrated lesbian-themed films of the 21st century, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara -- for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Nagy had been devoted to adapting Highsmith's novel for over a decade before Todd Haynes agreed to direct it. She has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ representation in screen drama throughout her career.