Kerr, Walter Francis

Kerr, Walter Francis,1913–96, American drama critic, b. Evanston, Ill. He wrote for the theater in the 1930s, and became drama critic for the New York先驱论坛报》in 1951 and for the New YorkTimesin 1966. His books includeHow Not to Write a Play(1955),The Decline of Pleasure(1962),The Theater in Spite of Itself(1963), andTragedy and Comedy(1967). His bookThe Silent Clowns(1975) spurred a revival of interest in film comics of the twenties. He won a Pulitzer Prize for dramatic criticism in 1978.

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