Eric Overmyer

A great writer owns every word they write. They've earned those words through years of laughing, suffering, wondering, living. Eric Overmyer was a great writer.

I've known Eric since we were both starving playwrights in New York. I was totally intimidated by his talents, though he was absolutely generous in encouraging me to find my own voice. Yes, that was Eric's M.O. (to borrow a cop term); he possessed abundant amounts of kindness, grace, intelligence and a unique sort of grooviness.

On the other hand, he never stopped reminding me that he was younger — by two weeks — than I am.

His stageworks were first performed off-Broadway and in regional theaters. They are still wonderfully complex, staggeringly original and inhabited not with characters, but with fully formed human beings. Spend an evening with Mary, Alexandra and Fanny, as they find themselves ON THE VERGE, and you'll see how acutely, sensually he understood the overall world and the inner soul.

I believe, in his heart, he thought of himself as a playwright first and foremost.

Among the television series he wrote and produced are BOSCH, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, TREME, THE WIRE and HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET. His scripts have a remarkable ability to thrill, enlighten and bemuse. His scenes are anchored in cities which he understood intimately, yet universally — from Baltimore to New Orleans, from Atlantic City to Hollywood.

The first episode that he wrote for ST ELSEWHERE featured a hilarious "song duel," between a Boston doctor and a Dublin poet, competing for the affections of a head nurse. That scene was followed by some of the most heart-breaking dialogue I'd ever read.

BOSCH is Prime Video's longest running series, spanning seven seasons — no small achievement these days.

For THE WIRE, Eric received both a Writers Guild of America Award and an Edgar from the Mystery Writers of America. Nominations include four Primetime Emmys and a Humanitas Prize.

Born in Boulder, Colorado, Eric graduated as a theater major from Reed College, which sparked his life as a writer.

He died at age 74 on March 16th after a long illness, which I believe he faced with his usual strength, calm and grin — aided by the extraordinary care and love of his wife, actress Ellen McElduff, and daughters Lily and Katie.

Eric Overmyer was my friend and my inspiration. Rest in Joy, Captain EO.

Tom Fontana