Douglas McGrath, playwright, director and actor dies at 64

“People often ask me what it was like to grow up in West Texas,” Mr. McGrath said in his book All Is Well. “I think that sums it up: it’s too hot, it’s too dusty, the wind is too heavy. It’s like growing inside a hair dryer full of dirt.”

Graduated from Princeton University in 1980.

Written in “Planning My Future” 2001 article in the Times“I had a very clear idea of ​​what I wanted to do, but a very foggy idea of ​​how to do it. I knew I wanted to write and perform in my own films in the manner of my idol, Woody Allen. But when I went to the Career Counseling Center and encountered a billboard The ads, none of the cards said, “Required: Writer, Actor, and Director for a major feature, no experience required, must be willing to earn a high salary.”

However, when a friend told him that “SNL” was hiring a writer, he sent in some sketches and landed a job that cost $850 a week.

He wrote, “It sounded too good to be true.” “It was. 1980 was seen, at the time, as the worst year in the history of the show, which is no small feat when you consider some of the other years.”

in 2016 interviewMr. McGrath said his disappointment with the way the script for “Born Saturday” was handled had changed the direction of his career.

“I remember thinking, OK, if I don’t want to spend the rest of my life doing this, in the sense of watching someone else screw up what I did,” he said, “there is only one way around it.” “I have to become a director.”

Mr. McGrath, who lived in Manhattan, Married Jane Reed Martin in 1995. She survived, as did her son Henry. sister of Mary McGrath Abrams; and his brother Alexander.