The original Broadway production of "The Elephant Man" by Bernard Pomerance opened at the Booth Theater in New York on April 19, 1979, ran for 916 performances and won the 1979 Tony Award (New York City) for the Best Play.
Philip Anglim, Kevin Conway and Richard Clarke repeated their stage roles in the movie version.
Although based on the same title and historical figures as David Lynch's Elephant Man (1980), that movie avoided using this 1979 play as a source, going instead to primary sources and medical histories.
Philip Anglim and Kevin Conway recreated their original Broadway performances. This television version followed Elephant Man (1980), the movie version of the same subject, by just two years.
Philip Anglim was nominated for the 1979 Tony Award (New York City) for Actor in a Drama for "The Elephant Man" and recreated his role in this production.
Glenn Close was later considered for the role of Jessica in Dune (1984), for director David Lynch, who had directed Elephant Man (1980). She and Helena Bonham Carter; who was considered for the role of Irulan; would later play similar roles in Hamlet (1990). Close also appeared in Les Copains d'abord (1983) with William Hurt, who appeared in the remake, Dune (2000).