Ron Milner
Ronald Milner (May 29, 1938 in Detroit, Michigan – July 16, 2004 in Detroit) was an African-American playwright. His play, Checkmates, starring Paul Winfield and Denzel Washington ran on Broadway in 1988.
Milner's works included Who's Got His Own (inspired by Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child"), What the Wine-Sellers Buy (the first play by an African-American produced by Joseph Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival at Lincoln Center), and Roads to the Mountaintop (a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.) He taught creative writing at the University of Southern California, Wayne State University, and Michigan State University.
Milner served as a mentor to writer and journalist J. Samuel Cook, whom he met at a conference in Toledo, Ohio. Cook attributes the success of his award-winning play "Barren Fields" to Milner's direction.
Milner died of complications from liver cancer. He is survived by 5 children and 8 grandchildren.
Note: Playbill was used as a source for this article.