Tracy Letts is a multifaceted American actor, playwright, and screenwriter whose career spans decades of critically acclaimed work across theater, film, and television. Born Tracy Shane Letts on July 4, 1965, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he was raised in a family deeply connected to the performing arts. His mother, Billie Letts, was a novelist, and his father, Dennis Letts, was an actor and college professor, an environment that fostered his early appreciation for storytelling and performance. Letts began his professional association with the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 1988, where he performed in numerous classic plays and developed his craft as a stage actor.

As a playwright, Letts achieved extraordinary success with works that include Killer Joe, Man from Nebraska, August: Osage County, and The Minutes. His 2007 play August: Osage County, a searing family drama, became a landmark of American theater, earning him both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play in 2008. The play was later adapted into a film in 2013, directed by John Wells, with Letts himself writing the screenplay. He also adapted two of his other plays for the screen: Bug in 2006 and Killer Joe in 2011, both directed by William Friedkin.

Despite his acclaim as a writer, Letts built a formidable reputation as a stage actor. He made his Broadway acting debut as George in the revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a performance that earned him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 2013. He continued to appear on Broadway in productions such as All My Sons and The Minutes, further cementing his status as one of the premier stage actors of his generation.

On television, Letts gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Andrew Lockhart in seasons three and four of Showtime's Homeland from 2013 to 2014. He later starred as Jack McKinney in the HBO sports drama series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty from 2022 to 2023, a role that earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2024. His film credits include notable performances as Henry Ford II in James Mangold's sports drama Ford v Ferrari in 2019 and as Mr. Dashwood in Little Women, the 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel.

Letts is married to actress Carrie Coon, with whom he has shared both personal and professional collaborations. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a rare versatility, moving seamlessly between writing and acting while maintaining a consistent presence in the Steppenwolf Theatre community. His contributions to American theater and film have made him a respected and influential figure in the entertainment industry.