Edward Franklin Albee was born March 12, 1928. probably in the state of Virginia. His place of birth is unknown because Albee was adopted when he was two weeks old in Washington. D.C., by a wealthy couple, Reed A. Albee and his third wife Frances. Reed A. Albee was the son of Edward Albee, Jr., a founder of the Keith-Albee theater circuit. The year Albee was born, Reed Albee retired from his work as part owner of the Keith-Albee. Albee grew up in a household filled with people from the theater and regularly attended theatrical events from an early age.

Albee's childhood was also unconventional in other ways. He had a privileged life, but his parents' marriage was strained, in part because of his domineering mother. Their problems proved a source of inspiration for Albee's plays. Because his father was retired, the family traveled regularly during the...