Sam Shepard, the playwright, who portrayed the darker sides of American family life in plays like his Pulitzer Prize winning “Buried Child” has died of Lou Gehrig’s disease. The NY Times wrote: “He was widely regarded as one of the most original voices of his generation, winning praise from critics for his searing portraits of spouses, siblings and lovers struggling with issues of identity, failure and the fleeting nature of the American dream.” He wrote more than 40 plays, two others nominated for Pulitzers; and was nominated for the best supporting actor Oscar for his role in The Right Stuff; and starred in films like Black Hawk Down as well as co-writing Paris, Texas. Most recently he was in Netflix’s Bloodline.
Born 5 November 1943 3.45pm Fort Sheridan, Illinois, he had a former bomber pilot father ‘a dedicated alcoholic’, and after leaving school graduated to the Off-Off-Broadway scene where he learnt his craft.
He had a deeply buried, intensely emotional and secretive 8th house Sun Mercury in Scorpio square Pluto and North Node in the performing 5th – so his angst about not being in control as a child was channelled into his art. His Pluto was further emphasised being on the focal point of a creative mini-Grand Trine of Uranus and Neptune. His military father is also reflected in his Mars Saturn conjunction in Gemini in his communication 3rd house square his Venus – unkind, uncaring about Sam’s needs. His 12th house Aquarius Moon opposed Jupiter which suggests a tolerant if hidden mother. A 6th house Jupiter can be overly indulgent and in his latter years there were arrests for drunk driving.
His chart is replete with creative quintiles and septiles – his 5th Harmonic ties together Pluto with Mars and Moon Venus, which fairly describes the bleaker, crueller side of family life; and his inspired 7H highlights imaginative Neptune, as well as tough Saturn Pluto.
His writer’s 21st Harmonic is also notable and stark, linking Saturn to Pluto and Mars Moon and Venus. While his leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17H is well aspected, giving hope that his work will live on.
He was with actress Jessica Lange, a Sun, Venus, Mercury in Taurus with Moon Jupiter in Aquarius, for over 25 years, but they split in 2009. For a time they were a real power couple, with a composite New Moon opposition Pluto square Jupiter, so it would be close, supportive and complementary. Although it had its rougher edges with her Saturn conjunct his Jupiter and her Uranus conjunct his Saturn – and so ultimately they went their separate ways.
Him, too. The sad truth is actors are seldom very intelligent, so you can spot one fairly easily. We lost two today.