The Famous Playwright Harold Pinter

The son of a Jewish tailor, Harold Pinter was born in Lackey, England in 1930. His writing career began as a teenager, writing poetry for magazines. He later studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which he abandoned to pursue an acting career. He went on tour in Ireland with a Shakespearean company.

In 1957, Pinter write his first two plays. Both were one-act mysteries, “The Room” and “The Dumb Waiter”. This was followed by his first full-length play, “The Birthday Party”.

He expanded his writing talent to include several motion pictures. The most famous of which was “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”. He also wrote “The Last Tycoon” and “The Handmaid’s Tale”.

Harold Pinter’s talent was recognized with many prestigious awards. He received the Berlin Film Festival’s Silver Bear, BAFTA awards, Commonwealth awards, and the Cannes Film Festival Palme D’or.

In 1949, Pinter was fined for not going to participate in the war. He stated that he would not go to war, even if he had to go to prison.

Under the name Harold Pinta, he published a series of poems. As his interest in the theatre grew, he turned his writing talents towards being a playwright. It is stated that his wife Vivien Merchant appeared in many of his plays. He eventually became an associate director of the National Theatre.

Harold Pinter made the announcement that he was retiring as a playwright in February of 2005. His love of politics inspired him to turn his attentions to political issues. Most recently, he spoke against George Bush’s intentions in Iraq.