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Harold Pinter

Harold Pinter

Known For Writing
Birthday Oct 10, 1930
Died Dec 24, 2008 (78)
Birthplace Hackney, London, England, UK
Popularity 0.4 (history)
Updated Aug 08, 2025
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

Harold Pinter CH CBE (10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthda ... y Party (1957), The Homecoming (1964), and Betrayal (1978), each of which he adapted for the screen. His screenplay adaptations of others' works include The Servant (1963), The Go-Between (1971), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), The Trial (1993), and Sleuth (2007). He also directed or acted in radio, stage, television, and film productions of his own and others' works. Pinter was born and raised in Hackney, east London, and educated at Hackney Downs School. He was a sprinter and a keen cricket player, acting in school plays and writing poetry. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art but did not complete the course. He was fined for refusing national service as a conscientious objector. Subsequently, he continued training at the Central School of Speech and Drama and worked in repertory theatre in Ireland and England. In 1956 he married actress Vivien Merchant and had a son, Daniel, born in 1958. He left Merchant in 1975 and married author Lady Antonia Fraser in 1980. Pinter's career as a playwright began with a production of The Room in 1957. His second play, The Birthday Party, closed after eight performances, but was enthusiastically reviewed by critic Harold Hobson. His early works were described by critics as "comedy of menace". Later plays such as No Man's Land (1975) and Betrayal (1978) became known as "memory plays". He appeared as an actor in productions of his own work on radio and film. He also undertook a number of roles in works by other writers. He directed nearly 50 productions for stage, theatre and screen. Pinter received over 50 awards, prizes, and other honours, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005 and the French Légion d'honneur in 2007. Despite frail health after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in December 2001, Pinter continued to act on stage and screen, last performing the title role of Samuel Beckett's one-act monologue Krapp's Last Tape, for the 50th anniversary season of the Royal Court Theatre, in October 2006. He died from liver cancer on 24 December 2008. Description above from the Wikipedia article Harold Pinter, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Known For

Headshots

Profile
Profile
Filmography

Krapp's Last Tape

Krapp's Last Tape

2007

as Krapp

Sleuth

Sleuth

2007

as Man on T.V.

One for the Road

One for the Road

2001

as Nicolas

Catastrophe

Catastrophe

2001

as The Director

The Tailor of Panama

The Tailor of Panama

2001

as Uncle Benny

Wit

Wit

2001

as Mr. Bearing

Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park

1999

as Sir Thomas Bertram

Mojo

Mojo

1997

as Sam Ross

Breaking the Code

Breaking the Code

1996

as John Smith

The Birthday Party

The Birthday Party

1987

as Nat Goldberg

Turtle Diary

Turtle Diary

1985

as Man in Bookshop

Langrishe, Go Down

Langrishe, Go Down

1978

as Barry Shannon

Rogue Male

Rogue Male

1976

as Saul Abrahams

The Basement

The Basement

1967

as Stott

Accident

Accident

1967

as Bell - TV Producer

In Camera

In Camera

1964

as Garcin

The Caretaker

The Caretaker

1964

as Man

The Servant

The Servant

1963

as People in Restaurant: Society Man

A Night Out

A Night Out

1960

as Seeley

The New World Order

The New World Order

2019

Writer

Sleuth

Sleuth

2007

Screenplay

Celebration

Celebration

2007

Writer

Victoria Station

Victoria Station

2003

Writer

The Dwarfs

The Dwarfs

2002

Writer

Landscape

Landscape

1995

Writer

The Trial

The Trial

1993

Screenplay

Party Time

Party Time

1992

Screenplay

Old Times

Old Times

1991

Writer

The Comfort of Strangers

The Comfort of Strangers

1990

Screenplay

The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale

1990

Screenplay

Reunion

Reunion

1989

Screenplay

The Heat of the Day

The Heat of the Day

1989

Writer

Mountain Language

Mountain Language

1988

Writer

Basements

Basements

1987

Writer

The Birthday Party

The Birthday Party

1987

Writer

Turtle Diary

Turtle Diary

1985

Screenplay

One for the Road

One for the Road

1985

Writer

The Dumb Waiter

The Dumb Waiter

1985

Writer

A Kind of Alaska

A Kind of Alaska

1984

Writer

Betrayal

Betrayal

1983

Writer

Landscape

Landscape

1983

Writer

The Hothouse

The Hothouse

1982

Writer

Langrishe, Go Down

Langrishe, Go Down

1978

Screenplay

No Man's Land

No Man's Land

1978

Writer

The Collection

The Collection

1976

Screenplay

The Last Tycoon

The Last Tycoon

1976

Screenplay

Old Times

Old Times

1975

Writer

The Homecoming

The Homecoming

1973

Theatre Play, Screenplay

The Go-Between

The Go-Between

1971

Screenplay

Last to Go

Last to Go

1969

Writer

The Birthday Party

The Birthday Party

1968

Theatre Play, Screenplay

Accident

Accident

1967

Screenplay

The Basement

The Basement

1967

Writer

A Slight Ache

A Slight Ache

1967

Writer

A Night Out

A Night Out

1967

Writer

The Quiller Memorandum

The Quiller Memorandum

1966

Screenplay

Modesty Blaise

Modesty Blaise

1966

Co-Writer

Tea Party

Tea Party

1965

Writer

The Caretaker

The Caretaker

1964

Writer

The Pumpkin Eater

The Pumpkin Eater

1964

Screenplay

The Lover

The Lover

1963

Writer

The Servant

The Servant

1963

Screenplay

The Dumb Waiter

The Dumb Waiter

1961

Writer

A Night Out

A Night Out

1960

Writer

Landscape

Landscape

1995

Director

Party Time

Party Time

1992

Director

Mountain Language

Mountain Language

1988

Director

The Hothouse

The Hothouse

1982

Director

Butley

Butley

1974

Director

No data available

Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

Theatre Night

as Goldberg

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 15, 1985

The South Bank Show

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 14, 1978

The Culture Show

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 11, 2004

Tony Awards

as Self - Nominee

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Apr 01, 1956

NBC Experiment in Television

as Self / (voice)

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Feb 19, 1967

Popularity Metrics

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2024 5 7 10 5
2024 6 7 10 5
2024 7 12 26 4
2024 8 10 23 5
2024 9 7 14 3
2024 10 4 12 1
2024 11 3 11 1
2024 12 4 8 1
2025 1 7 23 3
2025 2 4 9 1
2025 3 4 7 1
2025 4 0 0 0
2025 5 2 3 1
2025 6 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
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2025 9 0 0 0
2025 10 0 0 0

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
2024 5 616 451
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