Rollie Lynn Riggs (August 31, 1899 – June 30, 1954)[1] was an American author, poet, playwright and screenwriter.

[4] Riggs then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to improve his health and soon joined a group of artists.

[4] His first major production was a one-act play, Knives from Syria, which was produced by the Santa Fe Players in 1925.

Riggs began writing his most famous play Green Grow the Lilacs in the Café Les Deux Magots on the Left Bank in Paris.

Riggs was homosexual[2] and was often a non-romantic escort for Hollywood actresses including Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.

He moved to Shelter Island, New York after he started receiving a steady income when Green Grow the Lilacs was adapted into Oklahoma!

The musical Oklahoma!, based on Riggs' play, opened on Broadway on March 31, 1943 and ran until May 29, 1948 for 2,212 performances.