Biography
Linda Woolverton is an American screenwriter, playwright and novelist. She was born on 19 December 1952 in Long Beach, California, and trained in theatre arts, earning a BFA from California State University, Long Beach and an MA from California State University, Fullerton. She began her career writing for children's television and published young adult novels before moving into feature films.
Woolverton wrote the screenplay for the Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991), the first animated feature nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. She co-wrote the screenplay for The Lion King (1994) and later provided additional story material for Mulan (1998). She also wrote the screenplays for Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Maleficent (2014) and its 2019 sequel.
Woolverton adapted her Beauty and the Beast screenplay for the stage; the Broadway musical opened in 1994 and earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical. She wrote the book for the musicals Aida (2000) and Lestat (2006).
