Lee Hall (born 20 September 1966) is an English playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and lyricist. He is best known for writing the screenplay for the film ''

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy w ...

'' (2000) and the book and lyrics for its adaptation as a stage musical of the same name. In addition, he wrote the play '' The Pitmen Painters'' (2007), and the screenplay for the film '' Rocketman'' (2019).

Early life

Hall was born in 1966 in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, the son of a

house painter and decorator A house painter and decorator is a tradesman responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings, and is also known as a decorator or house painter.''The Modern Painter and Decorator'' volume 1 1921 Caxton The purpose of painting is to imp ...

and a housewife. He was educated at

Benfield School Benfield School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Walkergate, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Its pupils come from a large area of Newcastle's east end including Byker, Heaton, Walker, Walkergate and Walkerville. ...

Walkergate Walkergate is an area and electoral ward in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is in the east of the city, north of Walker proper, east of the Heaton area and west of Wallsend. Areas within the Walkergate ward include Daisy Hill, Eas ...

. As a youth he went to Wallsend Young People's Theatre along with Deka Walmsley, Mark Scott and Trevor Fox. The latter actor later appeared in both ''Billy Elliot'' and ''The Pitmen Painters''. Hall attended

Fitzwilliam College Fitzwilliam College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer academically excellent students of all ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, where he studied English literature and was taught by poet

Paul Muldoon Paul Muldoon (born 20 June 1951) is an Irish poet. He has published more than thirty collections and won a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the T. S. Eliot Prize. At Princeton University he is currently both the Howard G. B. Clark '21 University P ...

.Profile "The poet at play"
''The Guardian'', 12 May 2001, Accessed 2013-10-16 After leaving Cambridge, he first worked as a youth theatre fundraiser in Newcastle and at the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochlai ...

in London. In 1997, his playwriting career was launched with the broadcast of his radio play, ''

Spoonface Steinberg ''Spoonface Steinberg'' is a play by British playwright Lee Hall, first broadcast as a dramatic monologue on BBC Radio 4 on Monday 27 January 1997. Such was the popular acclaim that the BBC repeated it on Radio 4 the following Saturday afterno ...

'', on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

Career

Hall's most commercially successful work is ''

'', the story of a North Eastern English boy who, in the face of opposition from his family and community, aspires to be a ballet dancer. The inspiration for the screenplay was drawn, in part, from the A. J. Cronin novel '' The Stars Look Down'', which is also set in an English coal mining community during a

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

, and similarly tells the story of a miner's son who goes against the grain. The character Billy was also partly inspired by the renowned baritone Sir Thomas Allen who came from a similar background, having been born in the North East's County Durham. Initially a 2000 film directed by

Stephen Daldry Stephen David Daldry CBE (born 2 May 1960) is an English director and producer of film, theatre, and television. He has won three Olivier Awards for his work in the West End and three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway. He has received thr ...

, for which Hall wrote the screenplay, and for which he received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination, ''Billy Elliot'' was later turned into a stage musical, with music by Elton John and lyrics by Hall. It enjoyed a long run in the West End and opened on Broadway in 2008. It won Hall the 2009

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Book of a Musical. Also successful was ''

'', the tale of a young autistic Jewish girl who is dying of cancer. The last in a quartet of

radio play Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...

s entitled ''God's Country'', the monologue aroused an unprecedented listener response when it was broadcast in 1997 on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

. It was subsequently voted one of the ten best radio dramas of all time by readers of the magazine '' Radio Times''. ''Spoonface Steinberg'' was adapted as a television play and into a one woman show starring 42-year-old actress

Kathryn Hunter Aikaterini Hadjipateras ( el, Αικατερίνη Χατζηπατέρας; born 9 April 1957), known professionally as Kathryn Hunter, is an American-born British actress and theatre director, known for her appearances as Arabella Figg in th ...

. The play opened in 1999 and later transferred to the West End. Hall had more limited success with his comedy ''

Cooking with Elvis ''Cooking with Elvis'' is a dark comedy by playwright Lee Hall which was performed in 1999 in Edinburgh. The farce was adapted from a play written for the award-winning BBC Radio ''God's Country'' series and premiered in 1999 in Edinburgh. It wa ...

'', the protagonist of which is an Elvis Presley impersonator who has been paralyzed in a car crash. It was originally a 1995 radio play but it became a stage play in 1999. Hall's fondness for moving from one medium to another can also be seen in his work ''

I Luv You Jimmy Spud ''I luv you Jimmy Spud'' is a play set in Newcastle upon Tyne by British playwright Lee Hall starring Gus Brown as Jimmy Spud and Michael Walpert as Stephen (Scout). Originally commissioned by BBC Radio 4, it was first broadcast in 1995. The ...

'', which began as a 1995 radio play and was later adapted by Hall into a stage play and a film, '' Gabriel and Me'', starring

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

and

Iain Glen Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor. Glen is best known for his roles as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the ''Resident Evil'' film series (2004–2016) and as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO fantasy t ...

. He has also translated plays by

Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: * Carlo (name) * Monte Carlo * Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince ...

, Bertolt Brecht and

Herman Heijermans Herman Heijermans (3 December 1864 – 22 November 1924), was a Dutch writer. Heijermans was born in Rotterdam, into a liberal Jewish family, the fifth of the 11 children of Herman and Matilda (Moses) Spiers. Painter Marie Heijermans was his ...

and co-written the screenplays for adaptations of Jane Austen's '' Pride & Prejudice'' and

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is most famous for ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908), a classic of children's literature, as well as '' The Reluctant Dragon''. Both books w ...

's ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...

''. Hall's play, '' The Pitmen Painters'', inspired by art critic

William Feaver William Feaver (born 1 December 1942) is a British art critic, curator, artist and lecturer. From 1975–1998 he was the chief art critic of the Observer, and from 1994 a visiting professor at Nottingham Trent University. His book ''The Pitmen P ...

's book on the Ashington Group, premiered at the refurbished Live Theatre in

in 2007. It tells of a group of miners from

Ashington Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

, who decide to learn about art and begin to paint. The production later transferred to the National Theatre in London and opened on Broadway in September 2010. It won the 2008 Evening Standard Award for Best Play. In 2011, controversy arose over a children's opera that Hall had written, called ''Beached''. The opera was commissioned by

Opera North Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and ...

and was to have been performed by children from Bay Primary School in

Bridlington Bridlington is a coastal town and a civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is about north of Hull and east of York. The Gypsey Race enters the North Sea at its harbour. The 2011 ...

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

. The story is about a gay retired painter, a single father who tries to spend a quiet day at the seaside with his son, but who is interrupted by children on a school trip, dogs, a landscape painter, an amateur dramatic society and others. After rehearsals had been going on for six months, the school threatened to pull the children out of the production if changes were not made to the libretto. Hall changed some words to accommodate their requests, but school officials, supported by Opera North, insisted on the removal of the words "I'm queer" and "I prefer a lad to a lass," and other references to the character being gay. The school eventually agreed to let the children perform if Hall changed "queer" to "gay." Hall was the original writer on the screenplay for a film adaptation of

Michael Morpurgo Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo ('' né'' Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as ''War Horse'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytell ...

's ''

War Horse The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot designs ...

''; he shares credit on the finished film with

Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, producer and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them '' ...

, who was brought in by Steven Spielberg. His most recent TV work is an adaptation of

Nigel Slater Nigel Slater (born 9 April 1956) is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster. He has written a column for ''The Observer Magazine'' for over a decade and is the principal writer for the ''Observer Food Monthly'' supplement. Prior to ...

's Autobiography '' Toast'', starring

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...

and

Freddie Highmore Alfred Thomas Highmore (born 14 February 1992) is an English actor. He is known for his starring roles beginning as a child, in the films '' Finding Neverland'' (2004), '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' (2005), '' August Rush'' (2007), and ...

and set in

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

, West Midlands. First broadcast on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

in December 2010, ''Toast'' received a gala at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival and was released in cinemas on 11 August 2011. He also worked on the screenplay for the yet-to-released

Working Title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

film '' Hippie Hippie Shake'', based on Richard Neville's memoir ''Hippie Hippie Shake: The Dreams, the Trips, the Trials, the Love-ins, the Screw Ups: The Sixties''. Hall's other projects include a biopic of Elton John, '' Rocketman'', released in May 2019, a stage musical adaptation of Pink Floyd's ''

The Wall ''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/ CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-imp ...

'', and a film adaptation of George Orwell's 1933 memoir ''

Down and Out in Paris and London ''Down and Out in Paris and London'' is the first full-length work by the English author George Orwell, published in 1933. It is a memoir in two parts on the theme of poverty in the two cities. Its target audience was the middle- and upper-cl ...

''.

Personal life

Hall married film director

Beeban Kidron Beeban Tania Kidron, Baroness Kidron, (born 2 May 1961) is a British filmmaker and an advocate for children's rights in the digital world. Kidron is Chair of 5Rights Foundation, a charity that delivers children's rights for young people online, ...

(Baroness Kidron) in 2003, who was the initial director of ''Hippie Hippie Shake''.

Works

;Plays *''

'' (1995) *''The Love Letters of Ragie Patel'' (1997) *''The Sorrows of Sandra Saint'' (1997) *''

'' (1997) *''

'' (1999) *''NE1'' (2000) *''The Chain Play'' (2001) *''Child of the Snow'' (2005) *''Two's Company'' (2005) *'' The Pitmen Painters'' (2007) *''

Shakespeare in Love ''Shakespeare in Love'' is a 1998 romantic period comedy-drama film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard, and produced by Harvey Weinstein. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin ...

'' (2014) *'' Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour'' (2015) *''

Network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

'' (2017) ;Screenplays *''

'' (2000) *'' Gabriel and Me'' (2001) *''

'' (2006) *'' Toast'' (2010) *''

'' (2011) *'' Victoria & Abdul'' (2017) *'' Rocketman'' (2019) *'' Cats'' (2019) ;Musicals *''

Billy Elliot the Musical ''Billy Elliot: The Musical'' is a coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a ...

'' (2005) *'' Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical'' (2021) ;Operas *''Beached'' (2011) ;Translations *''

Mr Puntila and His Man Matti ''Mr Puntila and his Man Matti'' (german: Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti) is an epic comedy by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. It was written in 1940 and first performed in 1948. The story describes the aristocratic land-owne ...

'' by Bertolt Brecht (1998) *'' A Servant to Two Masters'' by

(1999) *''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrica ...

'' by Bertolt Brecht (2000) *'' The Good Hope'' by

(2001)

Awards and nominations

;Awards * 1999 Pearson Playwrights' Scheme Award * 2000

British Independent Film Award The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

, Best Screenplay: ''Billy Elliot'' * 2006 Laurence Olivier Award, Best New Musical: ''Billy Elliot the Musical'' * 2008

Evening Standard Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standar ...

, Best Play: ''The Pitmen Painters'' * 2009 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Book of a Musical: ''Billy Elliot the Musical'' * 2009

, Best Book of a Musical: ''Billy Elliot the Musical'' * 2009

Drama League Award The Drama League Awards, created in 1922, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing. Each May, the awards ...

, Distinguished Production of a Musical: ''Billy Elliot the Musical'' (shared with Elton John) * 2009 Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding New Score: ''Billy Elliot the Musical'' (shared with Elton John) * 2017 Laurence Olivier Award, Best New Comedy: ''Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour'' * 2020 Golden Raspberry Award, Worst Screenplay; ''Cats'' ;Nominations * 2001

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...

: ''Billy Elliot'' * 2001

: ''Billy Elliot'' * 2009

, Best Original Score: ''Billy Elliot the Musical'' (shared with Elton John) * 2011

Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

, Best Adapted Screenplay: ''War Horse'' (shared with

) * 2018 Laurence Olivier Award, Best New Play: ''Network'' * 2018

, Best Adapted Screenplay: ''Victoria & Abdul''

References

External links

* * *
Interview with Lee Hall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Lee 1966 births Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge English dramatists and playwrights English lyricists English male dramatists and playwrights English male screenwriters English screenwriters Living people Spouses of life peers Tony Award winners