Peter Barnes (playwright)

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Peter Barnes (born January 10, 1931 in London , England , † July 1, 2004 ibid) was a British screenwriter , film producer and film director . Barnes was also active as a playwright .

biography

Life

Although born in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets , Peter Barnes grew up on the British east coast. In Stroud ( Gloucestershire ) he attended school and performed as an amateur comedian in his parents' cafes.

After his military service in the Royal Air Force , he tried it briefly as a councilor in London County Council , but quickly realized that he could not gain anything from the life of a politician.

Barnes took tele- lessons in theology and began working as a film critic, editor, and eventually screenwriter. 1959 The White Trap Barnes first screenplay was filmed. In 1968 he premiered The Ruling Class at the Nottingham Theater. His piece "Red Noses" was voted "Best New Play" in London in 1985. Other epic pieces such as "The Bewitched" and "Laughter" cemented his reputation as a playwright of a significance that only Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard achieved in his generation in England .

Although he wrote numerous screenplays, his name became more popular in the 1990s. He wrote the screenplay for Enchanted April and was nominated for an Oscar in 1993 in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay .

Between 1989 and 1994 he directed four British television films, which, however, did not match the success of the author Peter Barnes.

In the mid-1990s, Barnes became a writer for Hallmark Entertainment and adapted some fantasy material into film scripts, most recently in 2000 Arabian Nights .

family

Peter Barnes was married twice. In 1958 he married Charlotte Beck, with whom he was married until her death in 1995. The couple had no children. In the same year he married Christine Horn, who gave birth to their daughter Leela in 2000. In 2002 - Barnes was now 71 years old - he became a father again. This time he became the father of triplets , sons Nathaniel and Zachary and daughter Abigail.

Peter Barnes died of a stroke just two years later, at the age of 73 .

Filmography

Awards

Web links