Prolific playwright and screenwriter Luther (Berryhill) Davis died 29 July 2008. Born in New York City on 29 August 1916, he won two Tony Awards for Kismet in 1954, for best author (musical) and co-author of the book. He was also nominated for Tonys in 1978 (Timbuktu!) and 1990 (Grand Hotel, The Musical).
His genre work includes: The Last Generation (1971), Daughter of the Mind (1969), Lady in a Cage (1964), Le Meraviglie di Aladino (The Wonders of Aladdin, 1961), and the film version of Kismet (1955).
Davis graduated from Yale in 1938 and served in the US Army Air Corps in both Asia and Europe during World War II. He retired as a major. He is survived by his second wife, Jennifer Bassey Davis, and two daughters: Rory Bolander and Noel Davis.