The Night of the Iguana (film) The Night of the Iguana (film) The Night of the Iguana is a 1964 film based on the 1961 play of the same name written by Tennessee Williams. Directed by John Huston, it featured Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, and Deborah Kerr. The film won the 1964 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. Actress Grayson Hall received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and Cyril Delevanti received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. "The Night of the Iguana" drew considerable attention for its
Jamaican iguana botanist who visited Jamaica in 1688, iguanas were once common throughout Jamaica. The Jamaican iguana declined dramatically during the second half of the 19th century, after the introduction of the Indian mongoose as a form of rat and snake control, until it was believed to exist only on the Goat islands near the Hellshire hills. The Jamaican iguana was believed to be extinct in 1948. A dead adult specimen was found in 1970. The species was rediscovered in August 1990 when a live adult male iguana was chased into a hollow log by a dog of Edwin Duffus, a hog