David Butler (screenwriter)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Dalrymple Butler (born November 12, 1927 in Larkhall , South Lanarkshire , † May 27, 2006 in London ) was a British screenwriter and stage actor .

Life

David Butler, whose parents were a professional teacher, attended the University of St Andrews from the age of 18 , where he studied drama and theater studies. At first he wanted to be an actor and then graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art . He gained his first experience in his field in London's West End theater district . Butler was always denied a career as an actor in film.

Shortly after marrying actress Norma Ronald in 1959, Butler began writing screenplays . At the beginning there were British, internationally hardly successful TV series, including the 1972 mini-series The Strauss Family , which was partly shot in Austria , but in the same year he wrote the first of a total of 14 scripts for the successful TV series Black Beauty . In 1974 he received the prestigious composer prize of the Royal Philharmonic Society in London.

In 1976, in cooperation with the American Steve Shagan, he wrote the book on Reise der Verdammten , which deals thematically with the persecution of Jews during the Nazi era . It was his most successful work, as he was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar in 1977 .

Butler quickly advanced to become a historical miniseries writer. After contributing additional dialogues to Franco Zeffirelli's Bible adaptation Jesus of Nazareth in 1977 , he wrote the script for the biography of Benjamin Disraeli with Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic only one year later . In 1982 he also wrote the screenplay for the successful Marco Polo miniseries .

After divorcing Norma Ronald in 1966, Butler married Mary McPhail in 1969, with whom he had two daughters. The marriage lasted until Butler's death.

In 1992, after writing the screenplay for the French adventure film Blood and Dust , Butler retired into private life.

He died in London in May 2006 at the age of 78.

Filmography (selection)

Film award (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Butler, David
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Butler, David Dalrymple
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British screenwriter and stage actor
DATE OF BIRTH November 12, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Larkhall , South Lanarkshire
DATE OF DEATH May 27, 2006
Place of death London