Alfred was drafted in 1943, two years into his undergraduate studies at Brooklyn College.[2] He served in the Army tank corps and quartermaster's corps[3] in World War II for four years.[4] While in the army, he was taught Bulgarian at a language school and then stationed in the South Pacific, where he wrote poems for American Poet.[2] Alfred completed his B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1948 with the help of the G.I. Bill.[4][2]
He went on to Harvard, where he studied the literature of Medieval England, receiving his A.M. and Ph.D. in English in 1949 and 1954 respectively.[5][4] While at Harvard, Alfred took a creative writing course under Archibald MacLeish. There he wrote his play, Agamemnon.[6]
Alfred's plays were heavily inspired by his Irish American roots. The most influenced plays include Hogans Goat, Cry For Us All, and The Curse of an Aching Heart.[7]
He began teaching at Harvard the same year he received his doctorate and was appointed full professor in 1963.[4] In 1980, he was named Abbott Lawrence Lowell Professor of the Humanities.[4]
Alfred was a lifelong Catholic and attended mass at Saint Paul's Church in Cambridge.[4]
His great-grandmother, Anna Maria Egan, immigrated to the United States.[6]
Alfred's play Hogan's Goat, a verse drama, helped launch Faye Dunaway's career in the 60's.[8] They maintained a close relationship and remained lifelong friends.[8]
