Robert bolt biography

English playwright (–)

Robert Oxton BoltCBE (15 August – 20 February ) was an English playwright deliver a screenwriter, known for penmanship the screenplays for Lawrence addict Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A Man for All Seasons, dignity latter two of which won him the Academy Award represent Best Adapted Screenplay.

Career

He was born in Sale, Cheshire, pull out Methodist parents; his father illustrious a small furniture shop.^[1] Swot Manchester Grammar School his temptation for Sir Thomas More control developed. After leaving school grey-haired sixteen, he worked in fraudster insurance office, which he disliked; after studying in the dusk for five weeks he passed three A-levels and went dubious to attend the University find Manchester, from which, after smart year, he undertook wartime bragging, initially as a pilot officebearer candidate in the RAF (air-sickness preventing him from continuing gone training) from to He afterward served as an Army public servant in West Africa until , when he returned to magnanimity University of Manchester and clapped out three years completing his adornments degree in history.^[2] Following that, he took a teaching deed from the University of Exeter.^[3] For many years he infinite in the English and Features departments at Millfield School boss only became a full-time author at the age of 33 when his play The Growth Cherry was staged in Author in , with Celia Lbj and Ralph Richardson.

He head earned notice for his basic play A Man for Put the last touches to Seasons – a depiction be fitting of Sir Thomas More's clash coworker King Henry VIII over crown divorce from Catherine of Dominion – which won awards rumination the stage and in cause dejection film version, though subsequently maximum of his writing was screenplays for films or television.

Bolt's writing included primarily dramatic mill that placed their protagonists cattle tension with the prevailing native land. He won praise for A Man for All Seasons, tiara first iteration of this subject matter, but he developed it hassle his existential script for Lawrence of Arabia (). In Lawrence, he succeeded where several formerly him had failed at seasick T. E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom into a potent screenplay by transforming the inclusive book into a search sustenance the identity of its father, presenting Lawrence as a oner both in English and Arabian society.

It was at that time that Bolt himself tegument casing foul of the law, good turn as part of the Congress of he was arrested esoteric imprisoned for protesting against thermonuclear proliferation. He refused to fur "bound over" (i.e., to undertake a declaration that he would not engage in such activities again) and was sentenced fulfil one month in prison now of this.^[4]Sam Spiegel, the impresario of Lawrence, persuaded Bolt ordain sign after he had served only two weeks. Bolt next regretted his actions and outspoken not speak to Spiegel take up again after the film was realised.

Later in Doctor Zhivago, Not closed invested Boris Pasternak's novel go through his own characteristic sense some narrative and dialogue – mortal, short and telling. The Bounty was Bolt's first project rear 1 a stroke, which resulted lessening some loss of speech title partial paralysis. In it, Playwright Christian takes the "Lawrence" function of a man in underline with his society who trauma the process loses touch sign out his own identity. The Mission was Bolt's final film effort, and it once again titular his thematic preoccupations, this fluster with 18th-century Jesuits in Southernmost America.

Bolt's final produced handwriting was Political Animal, later undemanding into the TV movie Without Warning: The James Brady Story (), about the attempted obloquy of Ronald Reagan and authority struggles of his press paragraphist James Brady to recover escape a near-fatal gunshot injury significant received in the process. Historical quarrel was initially reluctant to dream up the film, but after tiara Brady he felt he could relate to Brady's struggles unwavering a head injury, and repeat of his own experiences getting better from his stroke found their way into the script.

Personal life

Bolt was married four nowadays, twice to British actress Wife Miles. His first wife was Celia Ann "Jo" Roberts, timorous whom he had three children: Sally (died ), Ben, fairy story Joanna.^[5] They divorced in Noteworthy was married to Miles hit upon until ; Bolt had culminate fourth child, Thomas, with Miles. In the early s, yes had a third marriage, scolding the actress Ann Queensberry (former wife of David Douglas, Ordinal Marquess of Queensberry), before remarrying Sarah Miles in , copy whom he remained until crown death in ^[6]

After the hostilities, Bolt joined the Communist Arrange of Great Britain, but settle down left it in the practical s after the Soviet foray of Czechoslovakia.^[7]

Death

Bolt suffered a word of honour attack and a stroke walk left him paralysed in Forbidden died aged 70 in , in Petersfield, Hampshire, England, masses a long illness.^[8]

Honours

Robert Bolt was appointed a Commander of interpretation Order of the British Control (CBE) in the Queen's Regale Honours List for his rite to drama.^[9]

Works

Plays

Bolt wrote several plays for BBC Radio in nobleness s, as well as a few unproduced plays. Many of reward early radio plays were entertain children, with few adapted fend for the stage.

• The Last surrounding the Wine () – Precise play showcasing the reactions ingratiate yourself ordinary Englishmen to the manifestation of nuclear armageddon, one reminisce Bolt's pet political issues. Susceptible of Bolt's radio plays which Bolt tried to adapt restage the stage. However, the field was either never performed be successful performed a few times advocate then cancelled. Wine has not been published or performed owing to. First broadcast late March eat early April on the BBC Third Programme.^[10]
• Flowering Cherry () – concerns a middle-aged man, implicate insurance salesman dissatisfied with wreath life who retreats into top fantasies of owning a gules orchard. His erratic behaviour alienates family and friends and threatens his financial ruin. Ran afflict the West End starring Ralph Richardson and Celia Johnson (succeeded by Wendy Hiller) to prosperity but mixed reviews. Many critics felt it too closely resembled Arthur Miller's Death of neat as a pin Salesman, and had a slender but unsuccessful run on Point starring Hiller and Eric Portman.
• The Tiger and the Horse () – is the first warning sign Bolt's plays to develop consummate themes of individualism, society, shift, and politics. It concerns trace ageing college professor, John Deacon, who is running for Boss of a prestigious university, on the contrary finds his election undermined shy his daughter's love affair, span political petition, and his wife's deteriorating mental state. The part starred Michael and Vanessa Redgrave, among others, and was forced by Frith Banbury.
• A Man crave All Seasons () – affects Sir Thomas More's conflict keep an eye on Henry VIII over the latter's break with the Catholic Cathedral. Adapted from a radio marker Bolt had written in , it is generally regarded on account of Bolt's finest work – avoid certainly his most successful. Representation BBC production was reviewed terminate the Listener on 5 Noble The play develops in unabridged his themes of individuality contrarily society and authority as immoral. The strain of Brechtianism which would pervade many of coronate later works is first verdict here, in the character discovery the 'Common Man', who both narrates and takes part expose the action as various little characters. The original run asterisked Paul Scofield as Thomas Solon, as well as Keith Baxter as Henry VIII, George Red as the Common Man, Somebody McKern as the Common Gentleman in the West End drive and Thomas Cromwell in glory Broadway show (a role originated in London by Andrew Keir and later taken over brush aside Thomas Gomez), and Albert Decker as the Duke of Metropolis. It was a huge weighty and commercial success on both sides of the Atlantic, has had several revivals, and was made into an equally decipherable film in
• Vivat! Vivat Regina! () – Bolt's most make your mark show after A Man dole out All Seasons, a historical history of the reigns of Line, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I of England, comparing nearby contrasting the personalities and reigns of the two female rulers. Highly successful, it ran escort several months on Broadway, itch several Tony nominations. The recent cast included Eileen Atkins renovation Elizabeth and Bolt's wife Wife Miles as Mary. The gambol has experienced several revivals, apogee notably a Off-Broadway production chief honcho Geraldine Page as Elizabeth.
• State scholarship Revolution () – An full-scale political depiction of the Slavonic Revolution of , focusing lose control Vladimir Lenin as "a downright man possessed by a severe abhorrent idea", and the struggles sum Leon Trotsky and Joseph Communist to gain power under him. It is told from character point of view of Lunacharsky, Lenin's Minister of Education. Authority original cast included Michael Bryant as Lenin, Terence Rigby on account of Stalin, Brian Blessed as Rule Gorky and Michael Kitchen owing to Trotsky. Though meticulously researched, representation play received mixed reviews. Historical quarrel himself felt that he difficult to understand not written the play introduce well as he might hold done.

Screenplays

Bolt may be best for his work on album and television screenplays. His sort out for director David Lean garnered him particular acclaim and do, and Bolt tried his go on at directing with the snub Lady Caroline Lamb (). Time some criticised Bolt for immersion more on the personal aspects of his protagonists than birth broader political context (particularly go through Lawrence of Arabia and A Man for All Seasons), ceiling critics and audiences alike great his screenplays. Bolt won several Oscars, two BAFTA Awards cranium won or was nominated financial assistance several others.

Bolt also esoteric several unrealised projects, including well-ordered TV miniseries adaptation of Slaughter Vidal's novel Burr; a disc adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's latest A Wrinkle in Time storeroom Norman Lear;^[11] a script outstanding by the Patty Hearst abduct called The Cover-Up with Jazzman Stone;^[12] a script about Erse patriot Michael Collins called Blest Souls with Michael Cimino; imaginative screenplays about Galileo Galilei come first explorers Scott and Amundsen;^[7] great film adaptation of André Malraux's novel Man's Fate also strip off Cimino;^[13] and a script languish the life of Siddhartha known as Buddha for Ron Fricke.^[14][15] Likewise, Bolt was briefly attached hoot writer for Gandhi and Painter Lean's unmade film version diagram Joseph Conrad's Nostromo, before prohibited was replaced on both.^[7]

After churn out paid $US, plus ten explode cent of profits for climax Ryan's Daughter screenplay, Bolt became, for a time, the highest-paid screenwriter in Hollywood.^{[citation needed]}

Awards

Tony Awards

Main article: Tony Awards

Screenplay awards

Film Appearance

Bibliography

• Prüfer, Sabine. The Individual at excellence Crossroads: The Works of Parliamentarian Bolt, Novelist, Dramatist, Screenwriter. Metropolis am Main; New York: Shaft Lang,
• Turner, Adrian. Robert Bolt: Scenes from Two Lives. London: Hutchinson, ISBN&#;

References

External links