Lonnie Coleman was an American novelist and playwright best known for writing the Beulah Land trilogy. He was born William Laurence "Lonnie" Coleman August 2, 1920, in Bartow, Georgia. He attended grade and high schools in various cities in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama and was graduated from the University of Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

 in 1942 with a B.A. degree. From 1942 to 1946 he was in the U.S. Navy, spending most of his time at sea as gunnery officer and then as first lieutenant on a troop transport which took part in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Okinawa and landed the first occupation troops in Kyushu, Japan.

He died in Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...

 at age 62 on August 13, 1982. His first novel was published in 1944. Coleman was an associate editor at Ladies Home Journal 1947-1950 and Collier's, 1951-1955.

Coleman's 1959 novel "Sam" is considered a groundbreaking novel in American literature in its depiction of homosexuality and metropolitan gay life.

Coleman's book "Beulah Land" was a New York Times Best Seller in 1974 and earned a record-breaking $800,000 paperback rights contract. His novels "Beulah Land" and "Look Away, Beulah Land" were filmed in 1980 as the NBC miniseries Beulah Land starring Lesley Ann Warren

Lesley Ann Warren

Lesley Ann Warren is an American actress and singer. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Emmy Awards and five times for Golden Globe, winning one....

, Michael Sarrazin

Michael Sarrazin

Michael Sarrazin was a Canadian film and television actor who found fame opposite Jane Fonda in the drama film They Shoot Horses, Don't They? .- Early life :...

. Meredith Baxter

Meredith Baxter

Meredith Baxter , also known for some years as Meredith Baxter-Birney, is an American actress and producer. She is known for her acting roles including three television series: Family , an ABC television-network drama, Family Ties , an NBC television-network situation comedy, and Dan Vs. , a...

, and Don Johnson

Don Johnson

Donnie Wayne "Don" Johnson is an American actor known for his work in television and film. He played the lead role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s TV cop series, Miami Vice, which led him to huge success. He also played the lead role in the 1990s cop series, Nash Bridges...

.

Coleman had three plays produced on Broadway, but none were successful. "Jolly's Progress" starred Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt

Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...

 and Wendell Corey

Wendell Corey

Wendell Reid Corey was an American actor and politician.He was born in Dracut, Massachusetts, the son of Milton Rothwell Corey and Julia Etta McKenney . His father was a Congregationalist clergyman...

 and ran for a week in December 1959. His other two plays closed after opening night. His lone screenplay was for the 1958 film Hot Spell (film)

Hot Spell (film)

Hot Spell is a drama film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Shirley Booth and Anthony Quinn, and released by Paramount Pictures.-Cast:*Shirley Booth as Alma Duval*Anthony Quinn as John Henry Duval*Shirley MacLaine as Virginia Duval...

 which starred Shirley Booth

Shirley Booth

Shirley Booth was an American actress.Primarily a theatre actress, Booth's Broadway career began in 1925. Her most significant success was as Lola Delaney, in the drama Come Back, Little Sheba, for which she received a Tony Award in 1950...

 and Anthony Quinn

Anthony Quinn

Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...

.

Novels

• "Escape the Thunder" (1944)
• "Time Moving West" (1947)
• "The Sea is a Woman" (1947)
• "The Sound of Spanish Voices" (1951)
• "Clara" (1952)
• "Adam's Way" (1953
• "Ship's Company" (1955)
• "The Southern Lady" (1958)
• "Hot Spell" (1958)
• "Sam" (1959)
• "King" (1967)
• "Beulah Land" (1973)
• "Orphan Jim" (1975)
• "Look Away, Beulah Land" (1977)
• "Legacy of Beulah Land' (1981)
• "Mark" (1981)