Harold Pinter

Harold Pinter CH CBE 10 October 1930 24 December 2008 was a British playwright screenwriter director and actor A Nobel Prize winner Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanned more than 50 years His bestknown plays include The Birthday Party 1957 The Homecoming 1964 and Betrayal 1978 each of which he adapted for the screen His screenplay adaptations of others works include The Servant 1963 The GoBetween 1971 The French Lieutenants Woman 1981 The Trial 1993 and Sleuth 2007 He also directed or acted in radio stage television and film productions of his own and others works Pinter was born and raised in Hackney east London and educated at Hackney Downs School He was a sprinter and a keen cricket player acting in school plays and writing poetry He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art but did not complete the course He was fined for refusing national service as a conscientious objector Subsequently he continued training at the Central School of Speech and Drama and worked in repertory theatre in Ireland and England In 1956 he married actress Vivien Merchant and had a son Daniel born in 1958 He left Merchant in 1975 and married author Lady Antonia Fraser in 1980 Pinters career as a playwright began with a production of The Room in 1957 His second play The Birthday Party closed after eight performances but was enthusiastically reviewed by critic Harold Hobson His early works were described by critics as comedy of menace Later plays such as No Mans Land 1975 and Betrayal 1978 became known as memory plays He appeared as an actor in productions of his own work on radio and film He also undertook a number of roles in works by other writers He directed nearly 50 productions for stage theatre and screen Pinter received over 50 awards prizes and other honours including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005 and the French Légion dhonneur in 2007 Despite frail health after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in December 2001 Pinter continued to act on stage and screen last performing the title role of Samuel Becketts oneact monologue Krapps Last Tape for the 50th anniversary season of the Royal Court Theatre in October 2006 He died from liver cancer on 24 December 2008 Description above from the Wikipedia article Harold Pinter licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia