Sam Shepard, the famous actor and playwright, was caught by the police on Saturday in central Illinois and got charged for drunken driving and speed. The 65-year-old Shepard told the police from Normal, Illinois, that he had just stopped at a tavern in town before heading to his hotel.

The Bloomington, Illinois, Pantagraph reported that the actor’s blood alcohol was twice over the legal limit and was going 16 mph over the speed limit in the city, which is of 30 mph. According to the same newspaper, Shepard told the police that he was heading toward Kentucky.

Shepard received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play, “Buried Child.” He wrote several short stories, essays and memories during his long career. The 65-year-old actor has become involved in the New York's off-off-Broadway theater scene since he was 19 years old.

His connection with Theatre Genesis, housed at St. Mark's Church in the East Village was the strongest one he had had during his early career. Even if his acting was only occasional back then, Shepard had much more interest in writing.

He began his acting career when he was cast in Terrence Malick's “Days of Heaven” in 1978, where he had played together with Richard Gere and Brooke Adams. In 1984, he received an Oscar nomination for the portrayal of Chuck Yeager in “The Right Stuff.”

Two years later, Shepard was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Letters and in 2000 he decided to show his gratitude toward the Magic Theatre by staging his play, “The Late Henry Moss” as a benefit in San Francisco. Actors like Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, and Cheech Marin helped Shepard by taking roles in the play.