The Heiress (1947 play) was written by a woman and a man.
Ruth Goetz ( January 12 , 1912 -- October 12 , 2001 ) was an American playwright , screenwriter , and translator along with her husband and collaborator Augustus Goetz . The Heiress is a comedy play by the British playwright and soldier John Burgoyne . The Heiress is a 1947 play by American playwrights Ruth and Augustus Goetz adapted from the 1880 Henry James novel Washington Square .