Don Shirley’s family claimed “Green Book” falsely portrayed the famed pianist’s life.
Despite earning praise from critics, not all are pleased with Green Book —including the family of Dr. Don Shirley, who is portrayed by Mahershala Ali on the big screen. With this in mind, the Academy Award-winning actor issued an apology to Shirley’s family in regards to “any offense,” the pianist’s nephew Edwin Shirley III told Shadow and Act.
Green Book, directed by Peter Farrelly ( There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber), is based on the supposed true friendship between Shirley and his racist Italian-American chauffer, Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), as they ventured on the pianist’s concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. Shirley’s brother, Maurice Shirley, claimed to Shadow and Act the story depicted was “a symphony of lies.”
Farrelly’s film alleged Shirley and Vallelonga were friends when they apparently weren’t, according to Shirley’s family.
