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Writer

Ronald Harwood

Bio

RONALD HARWOOD (Screenwriter) received the Academy Award for his adapted screenplay for "The Pianist," directed by Roman Polanski. Previously, he received an Oscar nomination for his adapted screenplays of "The Dresser," directed by Peter Yates, and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," based on the best-selling memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby, directed by Julian Schnabel. Harwood's screenplay for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" also earned him the BAFTA Award for Best Adpated Screenplay, and nominations from the Writers Guild, Golden Globes and Independent Spirit Awards. Harwood was born in Cape Town, South Africa and later moved to London to pursue a career in the theatre. After attending The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he joined the Shakespeare Company of Sir Donald Wolfit, one of the last British "actor-managers." From 1953 to 1958, Harwood became the personal dresser of Sir Donald. He would later draw from the experience in his play "The Dresser" and write a biography of Wolfit. In 1960, Harwood started a new career as a writer, penning plays, novels and non-fiction books, as well as adaptations of his work for the screen. A recurring theme in his work has been the arts and artists. Among his plays are "Another Time," "The Handyman," "Equally Divided," "Quartet," "After The Lions," and "Mahler's Conversion." He is the author of a general history of theatre, entitled All The World's A Stage. His most recent novel is Home. Harwood has also been drawn to the World War II period, as highlighted by the films "Operation Daybreak," "The Statement," "The Pianist" and his play-turned-to-film, "Taking Sides." Other screenplays include "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," "The Browning Version" (for which he received a BAFTA nomination), "Cry, the Beloved Country," "Oliver Twist," "Private Potter," "A High Wind in Jamaica," "Mandela , " "Being Julia" and "Love in the Time of Cholera." Harwood recently debuted his new play, "An English Tragedy" at the Watford Palace Theatre and wrote the book, Ronald Harwood's Adaptations (Guerilla Books), in which he discusses the processes and experiences involved in adapting four works to the screen, "The Dresser," "Takings Sides," "The Pianist" and "Oliver Twist." The book reached #1 on Amazon.com's list of current best-selling film books.