Scott McPherson was an American actor and playwright who lived and worked in Chicago. His first full-length play, Till the Fat Lady Sings, received a JEFF Citation for Best New Work (Lifeline Theatre) and his one-act play, Scraped, premiered in a Chicago New Plays production (Organic Theatre).

Marvin's Room was McPherson’s second and last full-length play, premiering in Chicago, before being produced in New York, London's West End, and Los Angeles (Goodman Theatre/Hartford Stage/Playwrights Horizons/Minetta Lane Theatre/Tiffany Theatre). The play has been performed throughout the United States and around the world including, Australia, Canada, Slovakia, Turkey, Israel, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Finland, Sweden, and Mexico. For his work on Marvin's Room, McPherson received the JEFF Award for Best New Play, the Whiting Writer's Award and, posthumously, George Oppenheimer, Robby, and LADCC Awards. McPherson also wrote the film adaptation of Marvin's Room.