| William "Willy" Loman | |
|---|---|
| Death of a Salesman character | |
 | |
| First appearance | Death of a Salesman[1] |
| Created by | Arthur Miller |
| Portrayed by | Broadway: Lee J. Cobb, Albert Dekker and Gene Lockhart (1949), George C. Scott (1975), Dustin Hoffman (1984), Brian Dennehy (1999), Philip Seymour Hoffman (2012), Wendell Pierce (2019) Film: Fredric March (1951), Cobb (1966), Rod Steiger (1966), D. Hoffman (1985), Warren Mitchell (1978–1996), Dennehy (2000) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Traveling salesman |
| Family | Ben Loman (brother) |
| Spouse | Linda Loman |
| Children | Biff & Harold "Happy" Loman (sons) |
William "Willy" Loman is a fictional character and the protagonist of Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, which debuted on Broadway with Lee J. Cobb playing Loman at the Morosco Theatre on February 10, 1949. Loman is a 63-year-old travelling salesman from Brooklyn with 34 years of experience with the same company who endures a pay cut and a firing during the play. He has difficulty dealing with his current state and has created a fantasy world to cope with his situation. This does not keep him from multiple suicide attempts.
- ^ "Arthur Miller: An American Classic". PBS NewsHour. February 10, 1999. Archived from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2012.