Orphaned as a boy, Lonne Elder, III was born in Americus, Georgia on December 26, 1927, and raised in New Jersey by an aunt and uncle who ran an illegal numbers lottery from their home. He later moved to New York City, working odd jobs while studying acting and writing poetry and short stories. From 1959 to 1962, he played Bobo in A Raisin in the Sun, at the personal invitation of friend and playwright Lorraine Hansberry.

After finding some success as an actor, he shifted his focus to playwriting. His first work to be staged was a one-act play titled Charades on East Fourth Street.

He served as head playwright of the playwrights’ division at the Negro Ensemble Company from 1967 to 1969, when his play Ceremonies in Dark Old Men was selected for production. The play became an immediate success and earned Elder numerous awards.

In 1971, Elder turned to writing for television and film, with credits that included Sounder (1972), the television miniseries A Woman Called Moses (1978), based on the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, and Bustin' Loose (1981), starring Richard Pryor.

He later returned to the stage with Splendid Mummer (1988), which premiered at The American Place Theatre starring Charles S. Dutton. A monodrama, the play explored the 19th-century life of Ira Frederick Aldridge, the first African-American actor to achieve international fame performing Shakespeare.

Ceremonies in Dark Old Men is widely regarded as a classic and has been revived numerous times. Notable productions have featured prominent actors including Denzel Washington, Billy Dee Williams, Keith David, Norm Lewis, Glynn Turman, and Laurence Fishburne.

Lonne Elder, III is revered as one of the forefathers of Black American Theatre and a pioneer in television and film.