Willy Loman Willy Loman William "Willy" Loman is a fictional character and the protagonist of Arthur Miller's classic play "Death of a Salesman", which debuted on Broadway with Lee J. Cobb playing Loman at the Morosco Theatre on February 10, 1949. Loman is a 63-year-old travelling salesman from Brooklyn with 34 years of experience with the same company who endures a pay cut and a firing during the play. He has difficulty dealing with his current state and has created a fantasy world to cope with his situation. This does not keep him from multiple suicide attempts. Willy Loman is an aging
Arthur Miller to marry. Within hours of her father's death, Rebecca Miller ordered Barley to vacate the premises, having consistently opposed the relationship. Miller's final play, "Finishing the Picture", opened at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago, in the fall of 2004, with one character said to be based on Barley. It was reported to be based on his experience during the filming "The Misfits", though Miller insisted the play is a work of fiction with independent characters that were no more than composite shadows of history. Miller died of bladder cancer and heart failure, at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. He had been