Harold Pinter: Nobel Prize-Winning Playwright Dies at 78

Harold Pinter was an English playwright, screenwriter and director. Born on October 10, 1930, in Hackney, London, he began as an actor.

His plays include The Birthday Party, The Caretaker, The Homecoming and Betrayal, and he wrote screenplays for The Servant and The French Lieutenant's Woman. His spare, menacing dialogue gave rise to the term Pinteresque. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005.

He was a vocal critic of the Iraq war. Pinter was married to actress Vivien Merchant and then to author Lady Antonia Fraser. He died of liver cancer in London on December 24, 2008, at age 78.

Achievements: Nobel Prize in Literature (2005), Tony Award.

Birth: October 10, 1930 - Hackney, London.

Profession: Playwright.

Interesting Facts: His style gave rise to the adjective Pinteresque.