Peter Shaffer
| Sir Peter Shaffer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Levin Shaffer 15 May 1926 Liverpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 6 June 2016 (aged 90) County Cork, Republic of Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Information | |
| Notable work(s) | Black Comedy, Equus, Amadeus |
| Awards | Oscar for best adapted screenplay; Golden Globe for best screenplay; multiple Tony Awards and New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards for best play |
Sir Peter Levin Shaffer, CBE (15 May 1926 – 6 June 2016) was an English playwright and screenwriter of numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been turned into films.
Shaffer was born to a Jewish family in Liverpool, the son of Reka (née Fredman) and Jack Shaffer, an estate agent. He was the twin brother of fellow playwright Anthony Shaffer.
He was educated at the Hall School, Hampstead, and St Paul's School, London, and subsequently he gained a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge, to study history. Shaffer was a Bevin Boy coal miner during World War II, and took a number of jobs including bookstore clerk, and assistant at the New York Public Library, before discovering his dramatic talents.
Shaffer's first play, The Salt Land (1954), was presented on the BBC. Encouraged by this success, Shaffer continued to write and established his reputation as a playwright in 1958, with the production of Five Finger Exercise, which opened in London under the direction of John Gielgud and won the Evening Standard Drama Award. When Five Finger Exercise moved to New York City in 1959, it was equally well received and landed Shaffer the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Foreign Play.
Shaffer's next piece was a double bill, The Private Ear/The Public Eye, two plays each containing three characters and concerning aspects of love. They were presented in May 1962 at the Globe Theatre, and both starred Maggie Smith and Kenneth Williams. Smith won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Leading Actress at the age of 27.
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