Wood, Audrey, 1905-

American theatrical agent.

From the description of Audrey Wood Papers, 1863-1984 (bulk 1900-1984). (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center (HRC); University of Texas at Austin). WorldCat record id: 122472700

Audrey Wood was born February 28, 1905, in New York City to William Wood, a theatre manager, and Ida Gaubatz. Audrey grew up with constant exposure to the art and business of vaudeville and theatre through her father's work. She read and selected plays for her father while still in high school, briefly attended college, and then returned home to care for her mother after her father's death.

In 1927 she took a position as a script reader at the Century Play Company and eventually became head of the department. In 1937 she opened her own agency to represent playwrights and soon after formed a business partnership with William Liebling (1894-1969), a successful agent for actors and director. They married in 1938.

Constantly looking for talented new writers, Wood contacted Tennessee Williams in 1939 and offered her services as an agent. Wood helped guide and focus Williams' writing and under her care he created some of his greatest works, including The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof .

During the 1940s and early 1950s, the Liebling-Wood agency represented some of the top talent in the industry. In addition to Tennessee Williams, their client list included writers William Inge and Carson McCullers; actors Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Paul Newman; actresses Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Natalie Wood; and directors Elia Kazan and Joshua Logan.

In 1954 William Liebling retired and the Liebling-Wood agency was purchased by the Music Corporation of America (MCA), where Wood continued her work as an agent. In the mid 1960s she taught playwright workshops at several universities and later received an honorary PhD from Florida State University. Although her professional relationship with Tennessee Williams ended in the late 1960s, she continued to find and develop new writers such as Preston Jones and Arthur Kopit.

In 1981, after completing the manuscript for her autobiography, Wood suffered a stroke, leaving her in a coma that eventually led to her death in 1985.

From the guide to the Audrey Wood Papers TXRC01-A0., 1863, 1900-1984, n.d., (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin)