Jack Dunphy Biography

John Paul “Jack” Dunphy was an author and dramatist from America. He was the domestic partner of writer Truman Capote. Originally from New Jersey, Dunphy grew up in a working-class neighbourhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although he had always been artistically inclined, he initially developed an interest in dancing. After receiving ballet training under Catherine Littlefield, he performed at the 1939 New York World's Fair and accompanied the George Balanchine Company during its South America tour in 1941. Between 1939 and 1951, he was married to fellow Philadelphia-native dancer, Joan McCracken. In 1948, Dunphy first became acquainted with Capote. At the time, he was undergoing a painful split from McCracken. In 1950, the two writers began residing together in Taormina, Sicily. While the couple remained together until Capote’s passing in 1984, their relationship became strenuous in the last few years. As a writer, Dunphy published a number of short stories, plays, and novels throughout his career. In the 2005 biographical film ‘Capote’, Dunphy was played by Bruce Greenwood opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar-winning performance in the titular role. In 2006, he was portrayed by John Benjamin Hickey in another biopic on Capote, titled ‘Infamous’.