Simon Gray (Estate)

Simon Gray was born on Hayling Island on 21st October 1936. He began his writing career with Colmain (1963), the first of five novels, all published by Faber. He is the author of many plays for TV and radio, also films, including the 1987 adaptation of J L Carr’s A Month in the Country, and  TV films including Running Late, After Pilkington (winner of the Prix Italia) and Emmy Award-winning Unnatural Pursuits. He wrote more than 30 stage plays amongst them Butley and Otherwise Engaged (which both received Evening Standard Awards for Best Play), Close of Play, The Rear Column, Quartermaine’s Terms (winner of 8 Obie Awards), The Common Pursuit, Hidden Laughter, The Late Middle Classes (winner of the Barclay’s Best Play Award), The Old Masters (his ninth play to be directed by Harold Pinter) and Little Nell, which premiered at the Theatre Royal Bath in 2007, directed by Peter Hall. Little Nell was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006 and Missing Dates in 2008. His acclaimed works of non-fiction are An Unnatural Pursuit, How’s That for Telling ’Em, Fat Lady?, Fat Chance, Enter a Fox, The Smoking Diaries, The Year of the Jouncer, The Last Cigarette and Coda. The dramatisation of his Diaries, The Last Cigarette, co-authored with Hugh Whitemore and directed by Richard Eyre, played in the West End in Spring/Summer 2009). His four ‘Japes’ plays, Japes, Michael, Japes Too and Missing Dates were produced at Hampstead Theatre in 2014.  In 1990 Simon Gray was awarded the BAFTA Writer’s Award. He was appointed CBE in the 2005 New Year’s Honours for his services to Drama and Literature. He died on August 7th 2008.