Spalding Gray, famous for his autobiographical monologues and film roles, will be honored today during “A Tribute to Spalding Gray” at the Thurber Theatre.

The Ohio State department of theatre is the host of this event, which will include a screening of Gray’s 1987 film “Swimming in Cambodia” and guest speakers will discussing his life and work.

The theater department decided to put onthe event after Gray’s March 7 death, which came after a battle with depression and suicide attempts. Gray’s depression began after his mother committed suicide in 1967.

In 2001, Gray and his wife traveled to Ireland to celebrate his 60th birthday. While there, the couple was involved in a car accident, which caused Gray severe head trauma and a broken hip. The accident sent Gray into a deeper depression that induced multiple suicide attempts. Gray was reported missing on Jan. 10 in New York City.

Lesley Ferris, chair of the department of theatre, said it was important that an event was set up to commemorate Gray.

“We wanted to mark the loss (of Gray) and combine it to also introduce students who don’t know about his work,” Ferris said.

“Swimming in Cambodia” was originally a monologue performed on stage. The idea came from Gray’s experience acting in the 1984 film “The Killing Fields,” which addresses issues of the Vietnam War.

“(The movie) is one of those rare instances where the film really captures the sense of the live performer,” Ferris said. “It’s wonderful to see an avant-garde performer engaging with Hollywood.”

Chuck Helm, director of performing arts at the Wexner Center for the Arts, will talk about his personal relationship with Gray. Johan Callens, a professor at the Free University of Brussels in Belgium, will speak about Gray’s work with the Wooster Group, an organization he founded that puts on various performances in New York City.

“The Wooster Group had a really free-spirit approach particularly in the early days when Spalding was around,” Helm said.

After leaving the group, Gray worked as a solo artist, developing his life into monologues he performed on stage. Gray wrote his first monologue, “Sex and Death at the Age of 14,” in 1979.

Gray performed at the Wexner Center on several occasions. In February 2001, Gray performed “Morning, Noon and Night,” and in 1996 he performed “It’s a Slippery Slope.” He also performed twice during the Wexner Center’s inaugural season in 1990.

Gray’s solo performances were much less radical stylistically, Helm said.

Gray and Helm met in Minneapolis while Helm was working at the Walker Arts Center where Gray developed his solo style, Helm said.

“I got to know him well,” Helm said. “We went to some parties together, and I’ve seen a lot of his work.”

Besides his monologues, Gray has acted in more than 35 films and on Broadway.          

“A Tribute to Spalding Gray” will start at 7 p.m. Admission to the event is free.