Robert Blanchard

Robert M. Harling III, born in 1951 in Dothan, Alabama, is an American writer, producer, and film director. He pursued higher education at Northwestern State University and Tulane University Law School, where he was involved in music. After law school, Harling moved to New York to begin an acting career.

His career took a significant turn when, following the death of his sister in 1985, he adapted a short story into the play 'Steel Magnolias.' This play achieved considerable success, being produced off-Broadway in 1987 and translated into numerous languages. Harling subsequently wrote the screenplay for the 1989 film adaptation and also directed the 1996 film 'The Evening Star,' a sequel to 'Terms of Endearment.' His other notable screenwriting credits include 'Soapdish' (1991), 'The First Wives Club' (1996), and 'Laws of Attraction' (2004). He also contributed as an uncredited script doctor on various films and worked on the TV show 'GCB' in 2012. Harling is openly gay and a Presbyterian, and he owns a plantation in Natchitoches, Louisiana.