Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, and television and movie director. He is the author of several books. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play "Buried Child". Shepard was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of pilot Chuck Yeager in "The Right Stuff" (1983).