Editing David Hampton (section)

==''Six Degrees of Separation''==
[[Playwright]] [[John Guare]] became interested in Hampton's story through his friendship with [[Inger McCabe Elliott]] and [[Osborn Elliott]], who had been outraged to find "David Poitier" in bed with another man the morning after they let him into their home. ''[[Six Degrees of Separation (play)|Six Degrees of Separation]]'' opened at the [[Lincoln Center]] in May 1990 and became a long-running success.<ref>{{cite news|title=Six Degrees of Impersonation|author=Kasindorf, Jeanie  | magazine=New York Magazine |date=1991-03-25 |page=40 |accessdate=2011-08-03|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ugCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA40}}
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Hampton attempted to parlay the play's success to his benefit, giving interviews to the press, [[gate-crashing]] a producer's party, and beginning a campaign of harassment against Guare that included phone calls and death threats. The harassment campaign prompted Guare to apply for a restraining order in April 1991. The restraining order was denied. In the fall of 1991, Hampton filed a $100 million lawsuit, claiming that the play had infringed on the copyright on his persona and his story. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Judge Dismisses Scam Artist's Suit Against Playwright |url=https://apnews.com/article/2d499cc55adb23432a01e9b4faacd027 |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref>