British Male Playwrights

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 1 
William Shakespeare
(English Playwright & Poet Who is Regarded as the Greatest Writer in the English Language)
William Shakespeare
24
Birthdate: April 26, 1564
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Died: April 23, 1616

English playwright, poet, and actor William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. He is also often called England's national poet. Many of his works have been translated into other languages and his plays continue to be produced till day. Popular during his lifetime, he acquired an iconic status after his death.

 2 
T. S. Eliot
(Best Known as a Leader of the Modernist Movement in Poetry)
T. S. Eliot
8
Birthdate: September 26, 1888
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died: January 4, 1965
American-born British poet T. S. Eliot is best remembered for his poems The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, and Ash Wednesday, and his plays such as Murder in the Cathedral. He won the Nobel Prize for literature and became a prominent figure of Modernist poetry.  
 3 
Alan Bennett
(Actor, Screenwriter, Playwright, Diarist, Writer)
Alan Bennett
5
Birthdate: May 9, 1934
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Armley
 4 
Christopher Marlowe
(Playwright, Poet)
Christopher Marlowe
8
Birthdate: February 26, 1564
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Canterbury, Kent, England
Died: May 30, 1593

English playwright, poet, and translator, Christopher Marlowe, was one of the major literary figures of the Elizabethan era. It is believed that he greatly influenced his contemporary William Shakespeare. He led a troubled life and died young under mysterious circumstances. Despite his early death, he is regarded as one of the foremost dramatists of the 16th century London.  

 5 
P B Shelley
(One of the Epic Poets of the 19th Century)
P B Shelley
6
Birthdate: August 4, 1792
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Warnham, United Kingdom
Died: July 8, 1822
Legendary English Romantic poetry P.B. Shelley is remembered for his masterpieces such as Ode to the West Wind, To a Skylark, and Prometheus Unbound. He was known for his poetic imagery, and his popularity soared after his premature death due to drowning while boating at age 29. 
 6 
Harold Pinter
(Playwright, Screenwriter)
Harold Pinter
7
Birthdate: October 10, 1930
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Metropolitan Borough of Hackney
Died: December 24, 2008
 7 
Tom Stoppard
(Playwright)
Tom Stoppard
6
Birthdate: July 3, 1937
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Zlín, Czechoslovakia
Born in Czechoslovakia, legendary playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard had lost his father in the Japanese invasion of Singapore during World War II. The five-time Tony winner is best known for the absurdist tragicomedy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He also co-wrote the Academy Award-winning screenplay of Shakespeare in Love.
 8 
Sir Noël Peirce Coward
(English Playwright, Composer and Actor Best Known for His Wit and Flamboyance)
Sir Noël Peirce Coward
7
Birthdate: December 16, 1899
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Teddington, England
Died: March 26, 1973

Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English composer, playwright, singer, director, and actor. Renowned for his flamboyance and wit, Coward's style and work continue to influence popular culture. A recipient of several prestigious awards, including an Academy Honorary Award, Coward did not acknowledge his homosexuality publicly, although it was later discussed by biographers like Graham Payn.

 9 
Robert Shaw
(British Actor Known for His Role as ‘Henry VIII' in the Drama Film ‘a Man for All Seasons')
Robert Shaw
5
Birthdate: August 9, 1927
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Westhoughton, Lancashire, England
Died: August 28, 1978
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 10 
J. B. Priestley
(Novelist and Playwright)
J. B. Priestley
5
Birthdate: September 13, 1894
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died: August 14, 1984
 11 
Ben Jonson
(Dramatist, Poet & Actor)
Ben Jonson
9
Birthdate: June 11, 1572
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Westminster, London, England
Died: August 6, 1637
 12 
Henry Graham Greene
7
Birthdate: October 2, 1904
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Berkhamsted, England
Died: April 3, 1991

English author Henry Graham Greene, better known as Graham Greene, is remembered for his pathbreaking Catholic novels and thrillers. He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature. His works include The Third Man and The Human Factor, and his Academy Award-nominated script of the film The Fallen Idol.

 13 
Martin McDonagh
(Playwright, Screenwriter, Filmmaker)
Martin McDonagh
12
Birthdate: March 26, 1970
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Camberwell

The director and writer of the Academy Award-winning short film, Six Shooter, Martin McDonagh is also well known as a playwright and stage director. The Beauty Queen of Leenane is one of the his noted works. The crime drama film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was another successful venture of McDonagh. He says he prefers films to plays.

 14 
P G Wodehouse
6
Birthdate: October 15, 1881
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Guildford, England
Died: February 14, 1975
 15 
Mark Rylance
12
Birthdate: January 18, 1960
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Ashford, United Kingdom

Mark Rylance is an English actor, playwright, and theatre director. He is one of the eight actors to have been honored twice with the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He is also one of the eight people to have won the British Triple Crown of Acting, having received the BAFTA Television Award, BAFTA Film Award, and Laurence Olivier Award.

 16 
Steven Berkoff
(Actor)
Steven Berkoff
4
Birthdate: August 3, 1937
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Stepney, London, England, UK
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 17 
John Osborne
(Actor, Playwright, Screenwriter, Writer)
John Osborne
6
Birthdate: December 12, 1929
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: London
Died: December 24, 1994
 18 
John Dryden
4
Birthdate: August 9, 1631
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Aldwincle, Northamptonshire, England
Died: May 12, 1700
 19 
Clive Barker
(British Novelist and Playwright Who Excelled in the Genre of Horror Stories)
Clive Barker
6
Birthdate: October 5, 1952
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Liverpool, England

Clive Barker is an English playwright, novelist, visual artist, and film director. He gained prominence in the 1980s as a horror writer and has since written many novels and other works. As an illustrator, he has created original characters and series for comic books. He also creates costume designs. He is a recipient of the Inkpot Award. 

 20 
Christopher Isherwood
(Novelist)
Christopher Isherwood
4
Birthdate: August 26, 1904
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Cheshire, England, UK
Died: January 4, 1986
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
 21 
Beverley Cross
(Screenwriter, Librettist)
Beverley Cross
4
Birthdate: April 13, 1931
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Greater London
Died: March 20, 1998
 22 
Ivor Novello
(Actor, Playwright, Composer, Writer, Screenwriter, Songwriter)
Ivor Novello
3
Birthdate: January 15, 1893
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Cardiff
Died: March 6, 1951
 23 
Terence Rattigan
(Playwright)
Terence Rattigan
3
Birthdate: June 10, 1911
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: South Kensington, London, England
Died: November 30, 1977
 24 
David Hare
(playwright, screenwriter, film director, theatre director, writer, actor, television director, film producer)
David Hare
5
Birthdate: June 5, 1947
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: St Leonards-on-Sea
 25 
Joe Orton
(Playwright, Screenwriter, Writer)
Joe Orton
4
Birthdate: January 1, 1933
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Leicester
Died: August 9, 1967
 26 
Anthony Minghella
(Screenwriter, Playwright, Film director, Film producer, Writer)
Anthony Minghella
8
Birthdate: January 6, 1954
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Ryde
Died: March 18, 2008
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 27 
Rupert Holmes
(Composer)
Rupert Holmes
7
Birthdate: February 24, 1947
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Cheshire, England, UK
 28 
John Webster
(Playwright, Poet, Writer, Poet lawyer)
John Webster
3
Birthdate: 1578 AD
Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
Died: 1634 AD
 29 
Ian McEwan
(Writer, Screenwriter, Novelist, Playwright, Film producer, Author)
Ian McEwan
7
Birthdate: June 21, 1948
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Aldershot
 30 
Joseph Addison
(Essayist & Poet)
Joseph Addison
4
Birthdate: May 1, 1672
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Milston, United Kingdom
Died: June 17, 1719
Best known for his articles in the iconic 18th-century periodicals The Tatler and The Spectator, English essayist Joseph Addison had a lifelong collaboration with Richard Steele. Educated at Oxford, he excelled in Latin and classics. A prominent Whig, he mostly wrote on the social and cultural trends of his time.
 31 
Peter Shaffer
(Playwright)
Peter Shaffer
3
Birthdate: May 15, 1926
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Liverpool, England
Died: June 6, 2016
 32 
Ian Ogilvy
(Actor)
Ian Ogilvy
4
Birthdate: September 30, 1943
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Woking, Surrey, England, UK
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 33 
Robert Greene
(Writer, Playwright)
Robert Greene
8
Birthdate: May 14, 1959
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Robert Greene is best known for his international bestsellers such as The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, and The Art of Seduction. Some of his books have been banned in American prisons and have been described as manipulative, while some have been mentioned in popular songs.

 34 
Jeffrey Archer
(Politician, Novelist, Writer, Playwright, Science fiction writer, Children's writer)
Jeffrey Archer
4
Birthdate: April 15, 1940
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: London

Jeffrey Archer is an English author and former politician whose books have sold over 320 million copies around the world. Archer has been a controversial figure; he was convicted of perjury in 2001 after which he was sent to Belmarsh Prison from where he was later transferred to Wayland Prison. His conviction ended his political career.

 35 
Leigh Lawson
(Actor)
Leigh Lawson
5
Birthdate: July 21, 1945
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Atherstone
 36 
John Burgoyne
(General, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792)
John Burgoyne
5
Birthdate: February 24, 1722
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Sutton, Bedfordshire, England
Died: August 4, 1792
 37 
Winston Graham
(Novelist)
Winston Graham
6
Birthdate: June 30, 1908
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Victoria Park, Manchester, England
Died: July 10, 2003
 38 
Edgar Wallace
(Multi-genre writer who is most famous for King Kong and the J. G. Reeder detective series)
Edgar Wallace
5
Birthdate: April 1, 1875
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Greenwich, Kent, England, united Kingdom
Died: February 10, 1932
 39 
W. S. Gilbert
(Dramatist)
W. S. Gilbert
4
Birthdate: November 18, 1836
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Southampton Street, London, England
Died: May 29, 1911
 40 
Mike Leigh
(Film director, Actor, Playwright, Theatre director, Screenwriter, Writer)
Mike Leigh
8
Birthdate: February 20, 1943
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Brocket Hall
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 41 
Douglas Hodge
(Actor)
Douglas Hodge
4
Birthdate: February 25, 1960
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Plymouth, Devon, England, UK
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 42 
Leslie Bricusse
(Composer, Musician, Playwright, Lyricist, Screenwriter, Poet, Songwriter, Film score composer)
Leslie Bricusse
6
Birthdate: January 29, 1931
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: London
 43 
William Maugham
(Novelist & Playwright)
William Maugham
5
Birthdate: January 25, 1874
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: December 15, 1965
 44 
John Gay
(Dramatist & Poet)
John Gay
3
Birthdate: June 30, 1685
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Barnstaple
Died: December 4, 1732
 45 
Philip Pullman
(Writer, Novelist, University teacher, Playwright, Librarian, Children's writer)
Philip Pullman
7
Birthdate: October 19, 1946
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Norwich, England
 46 
Hanif Kureishi
(Playwright)
Hanif Kureishi
6
Birthdate: December 5, 1954
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Bromley, South London, England
 47 
Arnold Ridley
(Actor)
Arnold Ridley
7
Birthdate: January 7, 1896
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bath, Somerset, England, UK [now Bath and North East Somerset, England, UK]
Died: March 12, 1984
 48 
Chris Chibnall
(Writer, Producer)
Chris Chibnall
7
Birthdate: March 21, 1970
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: England
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 49 
Alan Ayckbourn
(Playwright, Writer, Screenwriter, Theatre director)
Alan Ayckbourn
3
Birthdate: April 12, 1939
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: London
 50 
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Writer)
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
6
Birthdate: May 25, 1803
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: London, England
Died: January 18, 1873