Alan Bennett author page

Alan Bennett biography

Alan Bennett is a British playwright, screenwriter, actor, and author. He was born in Leeds, England. Bennett read history at Exeter College, Oxford, and graduated with a first-class degree. He gained early recognition as a co-author and performer in the satirical revue Beyond the Fringe (1960), alongside Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and Jonathan Miller.

Bennett’s plays include Forty Years On (1968), Habeas Corpus (1973), The Old Country (1977), The Lady in the Van (1999), and The History Boys (2004). The History Boys won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2005 and the Tony Award for Best Play in 2006. His television work includes Talking Heads (1988, 1998), a series of monologues for the BBC.

Bennett has published collections of prose, including Writing Home (1994), Untold Stories (2005), and Keeping On Keeping On (2016). His children’s books include The Uncommon Reader (2007) and Six Poets: Hardy to Larkin (2014). He has also written screenplays, such as Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and adaptations of his own works, including The Madness of King George (1994), which won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film.

Bennett was elected an Honorary Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford, in 1987. He was awarded the British Book Awards Author of the Year in 2006. In 2015, he received the Special Olivier Award for his outstanding contribution to theatre.