Born: 9-May-1934
Birthplace: Leeds, Yorkshire, England

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Occupation: Playwright, Actor

Nationality: England
Executive summary: The Madness of George III

A major figure in British theatre, Bennett first gained prominence when he appeared as a writer and actor in Beyond the Fringe, a revue in the Edinburgh Festival of 1960, along with fellow zanies Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller, and Peter Cook. A play, Forty Years On, was performed in 1968, and other plays followed, including notably The Madness of George III -- later turned into a film, The Madness of King George (1994). Bennett's work in television, mostly as a writer, has been prolific. Other credits include A Woman of No Importance, a one-woman play featuring Patricia Routledge (1982), and multiple roles in The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979), a benefit for Amnesty International. An offer of a knighthood was purportedly declined.

Father: Walter Bennett
Mother: Lilian Mary Peel

    High School: Leeds Modern School (1946-52)
    University: BA Modern History, Exeter College, Oxford University (1957)
    University: Joint Services School for Linguists, Cambridge and Bodmin (1957-59)
    Teacher: Lecturer, Magdalen College, Oxford University (1960-62)

    Tony 1963 (special), for Beyond the Fringe
    Laurence Olivier Theatre Award 1992 Best Actor for Talking Heads
    Laurence Olivier Theatre Award 1992 Best Entertainment for Talking Heads
    Laurence Olivier Theatre Award 1990 Best Comedy for Single Spies
    Laurence Olivier Theatre Award 2005 Best New Play for The History Boys
    Laurence Olivier Theatre Award 2005 Lifetime Achievement
    Mugged Italy

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    The Lady in the Van (12-Sep-2015)
    The Young Visitors (26-Dec-2003) · Narrator [VOICE]
    A Dance to the Music of Time (9-Oct-1997)
    In Love and War (18-Dec-1996)
    The Madness of King George (28-Dec-1994)
    Little Dorrit (11-Sep-1988) · Bishop
    Fortunes of War (11-Oct-1987)
    Dreamchild (1985) [VOICE]
    The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (21-May-1982) · Himself

Wrote plays:
Forty Years On (1968)
Getting On (1971)
Habeas Corpus (1973)
The Old Country (1977)
Enjoy (1980)
Kafka's Dick (1986)
A Visit from Miss Prothero (1987)
The Madness of George III (1991)
The History Boys (2004)

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