Fool for Love is a play written by American playwright/actor Sam Shepard. The fools in the play are battling lovers at a Mojave Desert motel.
The original production, directed by Shepard, opened at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco on February 8, 1983 and starred Ed Harris and Kathy Baker. It had its New York City premiere at the Circle Repertory Theatre on May 26, 1983, with the same cast before later transferring to the Douglas Fairbanks Theatre. The production later featured Will Patton, Bruce Willis, Aidan Quinn, and Frances Fisher. Ellen Barkin was cast and rehearsed the role, but injured her arm before actually performing it. Moira Harris, the actress wife of Gary Sinise also performed the leading role.
The London production in 1984 starred Ian Charleson and Julie Walters. It premiered at the National Theatre, and moved to the Lyric Theatre in 1985.
The play was revived at the Apollo Theatre in London in 2006, with Martin Henderson and Juliette Lewis playing the lead roles in a production directed by Lindsay Posner.
In the 1985 film version, Shepard himself took over the lead, with Kim Basinger as his female lead. The film was directed by Robert Altman.