Sir Ronald Harwood ( né Horwitz; 9 November 1934 – 8 September 2020) was a South African-born British author, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for his plays for the British stage as well as the screenplays for '' The Dresser'' (for which he was nominated for an Oscar) and '' The Pianist'', for which he won the 2003

Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, mus ...

. He was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' (2007).

Early life and career

Harwood was born Ronald Horwitz in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, in what was then the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

, the son of Isobel (née Pepper) and Isaac Horwitz. After attending Sea Point High School, Harwood moved from Cape Town to London in 1951 to pursue a career in the theatre. He changed his surname from Horwitz to Harwood after an English master told him it was too foreign and too Jewish for a stage actor. After training for the stage at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

, he joined the Shakespeare Company of Sir Donald Wolfit. From 1953 to 1958, Harwood was Sir Donald's personal dresser. He would later draw on this experience when he wrote the stage play, '' The Dresser'', and the biography, ''Sir Donald Wolfit CBE: His life and work in the Unfashionable Theatre''. In 1959, after leaving the Donald Wolfit Company, he joined the 59 Theatre Company for a season at the Lyric Hammersmith during which time he played the role of Pablo both in the stage debut of Alun Owen's play ''The Rough and Ready Lot'' and in its 1959 television adaptation. In 1960, Harwood began a career as a writer and published his first novel, ''All the Same Shadows'' in 1961, the screenplay for '' Private Potter'' (1962) from his television drama, and the stage play, ''March Hares'' in 1964. Harwood continued at a prolific pace penning more than 21 stage plays, and 10 books. He also created more than 16 screen plays, but seldom wrote original material directly for the screen, usually acting as an adapter, sometimes of his own work (''The Dresser''). One of the recurring themes in Harwood's work was his fascination with the stage, its performing artists and artisans, as displayed in ''The Dresser'', ''After the Lions'' (about

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...

), ''Another Time'' (a semi-autobiographical piece about a gifted South African pianist), '' Quartet'' (about ageing opera singers), and his non-fiction book ''All the World's a Stage'', a general history of theatre. Harwood also had a strong interest in the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

period, especially the situation of individuals who either voluntarily collaborated with the Nazis or, alternatively, who faced strong pressure to do so and had, in each case, to work out their own personal combination of resistance, deception and compromise. His work focusing on this period includes the films '' Operation Daybreak'' (covering the assassination by the Czechoslovakian Resistance of Nazi leader

Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( , ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a German high-ranking SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He held the rank of SS-. Many historians regard Heydrich ...

), '' The Statement'' (a fictionalized account of the post-War life-on-the-run of French collaborator Paul Touvier), '' The Pianist'' (an

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...

of the autobiography of the Jewish-Polish musician Władysław Szpilman covering his survival during the Nazi occupation of Poland), the play later adapted to film '' Taking Sides'' (focused on the post-War "de-Nazification" investigation of the German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler), the play ''

Collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The ...

'' (about the composer

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

and his partnership with the Jewish writer Stefan Zweig), and the play ''An English Tragedy'' (dealing with the British fascist John Amery). Harwood also wrote the screenplay for the films '' The Browning Version'' (1994) with Albert Finney, '' Being Julia'' (2004) with

Annette Bening Annette Carol Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress. With a career spanning over four decades, she is known for List of Annette Bening performances, her versatile work across screen and stage. Bening has received List of awards an ...

and Jeremy Irons, and

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

's version of '' Oliver Twist'' (2005) with Ben Kingsley. He won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for the script of '' The Pianist'', having already been nominated for '' The Dresser'' in 1983. Harwood received his third

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2007 for his adaptation of the memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby, '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'', for which he also won a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

and the Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario in 2008, for Best Adaptation. In 2008, Harwood was also awarded the Humanitas Award in recognition of ''The Diving Bell and the Butterfly''.

Recognition

Harwood was president of the

English PEN Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' associa ...

Club from 1989 to 1993, and of

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...

from 1993 to 1997. He was chairman of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

from 2001 to 2004, and was president of the Royal Literary Fund from 2005. He was made Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 1974, Knight (Chevalier) of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

in 1996, and Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in 1999. In 2003, he was appointed a member at the Department of Language and Literature of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was awarded a DLitt degree from

Keele University Keele University is a Public university#United Kingdom, public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted uni ...

in 2002, honoured with a Doctor Honoris Causa from the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, Bulgaria) in 2007, made an Honorary Fellow of the Central School of Speech and Drama (London, England) in 2007, and an Honorary Fellow of the University of Chichester in 2009. Harwood was knighted in the 2010 Birthday Honours. National Life Stories conducted an oral history interview (C1173/02) with Harwood in 2005–2007 for its An Oral History of Theatre Design collection held by the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

.National Life Stories, 'Harwood, Ronald (5 of 18) An Oral History of Theatre Design', The British Library Board, 2007
Retrieved 1 February 2018 The British Library also acquired the papers of Ronald Harwood in 2004 consisting of manuscripts and papers, correspondence, and press cuttings. He was named chairman of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

in 2008. In June 2013, he was awarded an honorary degree from the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

by the Duchess of Rothesay. He received the National Jewish Theatre Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. In May 2017 an authorized biography of Harwood, ''Speak Well of Me'' by W. Sydney Robinson, was published by Oberon Books.

Personal life

He attended the Seapoint Boys' High School in that area of Cape Town. He moved to England in 1951. In 1959, he married Natasha Riehle (1938–2013), a descendant of Russian nobility. They had three children: Antony (born 1960), Deborah (born 1963), and the composer Alexandra Harwood (born 1966). The actor Sir Antony Sher was his first cousin, once removed. Harwood was the brother of South African dance critic Eve Borland. Harwood died from natural causes at his home in

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

on 8 September 2020, at age 85.

Bibliography

Stage plays

*''March Hares'' (Liverpool, 1964) *''Country Matters'' (69 Theatre Company,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, 1969) *''

The Good Companions ''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley. Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a Concert Party (entertainment), concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established hi ...

'' (musical by André Previn and

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Wallichs Music Cit ...

), libretto ( Her Majesty's Theatre, 1974) *'' The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold'', adapted from

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

's novel ( Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester and the Round House, London, 1977, *''A Family'' ( Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester and the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 1978) *'' The Dresser'' (The Royal Exchange, Manchester and Queen's Theatre, 1980; Duke of York's Theatre, 2005) *''After the Lions'' (The Royal Exchange, Manchester, 1982) *''Tramway Road'' ( Lyric Hammersmith, 1984) *''The Deliberate Death of a Polish Priest'' (

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

, 1985) *''Interpreters'' (Queen's Theatre, 1985) *''J J Farr'' ( Theatre Royal, Bath and Phoenix Theatre, 1987) *'' Ivanov'', translation of Chekhov's play ( Strand Theatre, 1989) *''Another Time'' (Bath and Wyndham's Theatre, 1989) *''Reflected Glory'' (Darlington and Vaudeville Theatre, 1992) *''Poison Pen'', about the death of composer Peter Warlock (the Royal Exchange, Manchester, 1993)) *'' Taking Sides'', about the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler ( Minerva Theatre, Chichester, 1995 and 2008; Duchess Theatre, 2009) *''The Handyman'' (Minerva Theatre, Chichester, 1996) *'' Quartet'' (

Albery Theatre Albery is a name. It may refer to: Given name * Albery Allson Whitman (1851−1901), African American poet, minister and orator Surname * A. S. Albery, British politician * Bronson Albery (1881−1971), English theatre director and impresario * Do ...

, 1999) *''Goodbye Kiss/Guests'', double bill about the South African diaspora ( Orange Tree Theatre, 2000) *''Mahler's Conversion'' ( Yvonne Arnaud Theatre,

and Aldwych Theatre, 2001) *''See U Next Tuesday'', adaptation of Francis Veber's ''Diner de Cons'' (Gate Theatre, Dublin, 2002 and Albery Theatre, 2003) *''An English Tragedy'', based on the true story of the British fascist John Amery (Palace Theatre

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

, 2008) *''Collaboration'', based on the relationship between the composer

and the writer Stefan Zweig ( Minerva Theatre, Chichester, 2008; Duchess Theatre, 2009) *''Taking Tea With Stalin'': Harwood presented the fascination of European intellectuals with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

with Nancy Astor and Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor, Waldorf Astor visited Joseph Stalin, Stalin in Moscow. The drama was filmed by Telewizja Polska, Polish Television in 2001 under the title ''Herbatka u Stalina''.

Screenplays

*'' Private Potter'' (1962) *''The Barber of Stamford Hill'' (1962) *''A High Wind in Jamaica (film), A High Wind in Jamaica'' (1965, based on the novel ''A High Wind in Jamaica (novel), A High Wind in Jamaica'' by Richard Hughes (British writer), Richard Hughes) *''Drop Dead Darling'' (1966, suggested by ''The Careful Man'' by :fr:Richard Deming, Richard Deming) *''Diamonds for Breakfast (film), Diamonds for Breakfast'' (1968) *''Eyewitness (1970 film), Eyewitness'' (1970, based on the novel ''The Eyewitness'' by John Harris (novelist), Mark Hebden) *''One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (film), One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich'' (1970, based on the novel ''One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich'' by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn) *'' Operation Daybreak'' (1975, based on the non-fiction-book ''Seven Men at Daybreak'' by Alan Burgess) * ''Tales of the Unexpected (TV series), Tales of the Unexpected'' (1979-1981, anthology television series, wrote 12 episodes) *''Evita Peron'' (1981, television film, based on the non-fiction-books ''Evita, First Lady'' by John Barnes, and ''Evita: The Real Life of Eva Peron'' by Nicholas Fraser) *'' The Dresser'' (1983) (also producer) *''The Doctor and the Devils'' (1985, based on an earlier screenplay by Dylan Thomas) *''Mandela (1987 film), Mandela'' (1987, TV film) *''Countdown to War'' (1989, TV film) *''A Fine Romance (film), A Fine Romance'' (1991, based on the play ''Tchin-Tchin'' by François Billetdoux) * '' The Browning Version'' (1994, based on the play ''The Browning Version (play), The Browning Version'' by Terence Rattigan) * ''Cry, the Beloved Country (1995 film), Cry, the Beloved Country'' (1995, based on the novel ''Cry, the Beloved Country'' by Alan Paton) * ''Taking Sides (film), Taking Sides'' (2001) * '' The Pianist'' (2002, based on the memoir ''The Pianist (memoir), The Pianist'' by Władysław Szpilman) * '' The Statement'' (2003, based on the novel ''The Statement (novel), The Statement'' by Brian Moore (novelist), Brian Moore) * '' Being Julia'' (2004, based on the novel ''Theatre (novel), Theatre'' by W. Somerset Maugham) * '' Oliver Twist'' (2005, based on the novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens) * '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' (2007, based on the memoir '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' by Jean-Dominique Bauby) * ''Love in the Time of Cholera (film), Love in the Time of Cholera'' (2007, based on the novel ''Love in the Time of Cholera'' by Gabriel García Márquez) * ''Australia (2008 film), Australia'' (2008) * ''Quartet (2012 film), Quartet'' (2012)

Books and published works

*''All the Same Shadows'' (novel) Cape (1961) *''George Washington September Sir!'' (novel) Avon (1961) *''The Guilt Merchants'' (novel) Cape (1963) *''The Girl in Melanie Klein'' (novel) Secker & Warburg (1969) *''Sir Donald Wolfit: His Life and Work in the Unfashionable Theatre'' (biography) Secker & Warburg (1971) *''Articles of Faith'' (novel – winner of the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize) Secker & Warburg (1973) *''The Genoa Ferry'' (novel) Secker & Warburg (1976) *''César and Augusta'' (novel about the composer César Franck) Secker & Warburg (1978) *''One. Interior. Day. Adventures in the Film Trade'', Secker & Warburg (1978) *''New Stories 3: An Arts Council Anthology'' (with Francis King) Hutchinson (1978) *''The Dresser'' (play) Grove Press (1981) *''A Night at the Theatre'' (editor), Methuen (1982) *''The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold'' (play) Amber Lane (1983) *''After the Lions'' (play) Amber Lane (1983) *''All the World's a Stage'' (theatre history), Secker & Warburg (1984) *''The Ages of Gielgud, an Actor at Eighty'', Hodder & Stoughton (1984) *''Tramway Road'' (play) Amber Lane (1984) *''The Deliberate Death of a Polish Priest'' (play) Amber Lane (1985) *''Interpreters'' (play) Amber Lane (1986) *''Mandela'' (a Channel Four book), Boxtree (1987) *''Dear Alec: Guinness at 75'' (editor), Hodder & Stoughton (1989) *''Another Time'' (play) Amber Lane (1989) *''Reflected Glory'' (play) Faber (1992) *''Home'' (novel) Weidenfeld & Nicolson (1993) *''The Collected Plays of Ronald Harwood'', Faber (1993) *''The Faber Book of the Theatre'' (editor) Faber (1994) *''Harwood Plays: Two (Contemporary Classics)'', Faber (1995) *''The Handyman'' (play) Faber (1997) *''Quartet/Equally Divided'' (plays) Faber (1999) ) *''Mahler's Conversion'' (play) Faber (2001) *''The Pianist/Taking Sides'' (screenplays) Faber (2003) *''An English Tragedy'' (play) Faber (2006) *''Ronald Harwood's Adaptations: From Other Works Into Films'', Guerilla Books (2007)

References

External links

* * *
Sir Ronald Harwood: Screenwriting Lecture
part of the BAFTA Screenwriters on Screenwriting series * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harwood, Ronald 1934 births 2020 deaths 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century South African male writers 21st-century English writers 21st-century South African male writers Alumni of Sea Point High School Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award winners South African Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Jewish English writers English male screenwriters English male stage actors English people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent English screenwriters Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature South African Knights Bachelor Members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts South African Jews South African dramatists and playwrights South African emigrants to the United Kingdom South African male stage actors South African people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Writers from Cape Town Presidents of the English Centre of PEN