Brian Robert Clark (3 June 1932 – 16 November 2021) was a British playwright and screenwriter, best known for his play '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'', which he later adapted into a

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

Early life

Clark was born on 3 June 1932 in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, United Kingdom, the son of a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

. He attended

Bristol Grammar School Bristol Grammar School (BGS) is a 4–18 Mixed-sex education, mixed, Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Bristol, England. It was founded in 1532 by Royal Charter for the teaching of 'good manners and literature', endowe ...

, leaving at 16.''The Stage'' Thursday 24 July 1986, page 10 Clark was educated at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

. He married Maggie Clark, his first wife, and raised two sons.

Career

Clark taught in schools, colleges and universities and was a member of the Drama Department at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

from 1968 to 1972. In 1970, he sold a television play, ''Rubber?'' Some years after its television production, he adapted the script for the stage. The reworked version won a Society of West End Theaters Award in 1978. Later that year, he brought the play to the United States, first at the Folger in Washington, D.C., followed by its Broadway debut the following year. In 1975 he wrote ''Whose Life is it Anyway'' a play exploring the theme of assisted suicide. Clark subsequently adapted the piece into a film released in 1981. He wrote other television plays including ''Easy Go'', ''Operation Magic Carpet'', ''The Saturday Party'', and ''The Country Party''. Clark wrote the first episode of '' All Creatures Great and Small'' (1978). The television series ''

Telford's Change ''Telford's Change'' is a 1979 BBC television series by Brian Clark which stars Peter Barkworth. The theme music was composed and played by jazz composer John Dankworth. The theme tune was released by BBC Records, (Resl 63), backed with 'Serenad ...

'' (1979), concerns an international banker downsizing to being a branch manager, the central role being performed by

Peter Barkworth Peter Wynn Barkworth (14 January 1929 – 21 October 2006) was an English actor. He twice won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor; for ''Crown Matrimonial'' in 1975 and for '' Professional Foul'' and ''The Country Party'' in 1978. He also starre ...

. Clark also wrote ''Group Theatre'', published in 1971 by Theatre Arts Books, in which he summarized the group theatre movement and outlined three approaches to group theatre. He was also the founder of Amber Press Publishers. Clark latterly lived in Brighton with his second wife, a writer and therapist. He died from an

aortic aneurysm An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. Typically, there are no symptoms except when the aneurysm dissects or ruptures, which causes sudden, severe pain in the abdomen and lower back ...

on 16 November 2021, at the age of 89.

Awards and nominations

*1978 Society of West End Theaters Award for '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' *1979 Selection, The Burns Mantle Theatre Yearbook, ''The Best Plays of 1978-1979'' for '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' *1979

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a 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 ...

nominee, Best Play for '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?''

References

External links

* * 1932 births 2021 deaths Alumni of the University of Nottingham English dramatists and playwrights English screenwriters English male screenwriters English television writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature English male dramatists and playwrights British male television writers People educated at Bristol Grammar School Writers from Bournemouth {{england-writer-stub