Who was Harold Pinter?
Q: Who was Harold Pinter?
A: Harold Pinter was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. He was Jewish and born and raised in Hackney, east London.
Q: What plays did he write?
A: Harold Pinter wrote The Birthday Party, The Homecoming and Betrayal, all of which he adapted into movies. He also adapted others' works such as The Servant, The Go-Between, The French Lieutenant's Woman, The Trial and Sleuth.
Q: How were his early plays described by critics?
A: Critics described Harold Pinter's early plays as "comedies of menace", meaning that the plays begin with an apparently innocent situation but become both threatening and "absurd" as the characters behave in strange ways.
Q: Did Samuel Beckett influence his work?
A: Yes, Pinter acknowledged that Samuel Beckett influenced his early work and they became friends who would send each other drafts of their works in progress for comments.
Q: Who did Harold Pinter marry?
A: Harold Pinter married Vivien Merchant from 1956 until they divorced in 1980. He then married Antonia Fraser from 1980 until his death.
Q: What illness did he suffer from?
A: Harold Pinter suffered from oesophageal cancer which was diagnosed in 2001 and eventually led to his death seven years later when it metastasised to his liver.
