Harold Pinter, one of the most acclaimed and innovative playwrights of the 20th century, passed away on Christmas Eve at age 78 after a battle with cancer. Pinter's plays took England by storm in the 1960s and his popularity rapidly expanded around the world. He was credited with bringing intimacy back into theatrical productions. His plays, such as
The Caretaker, No Man's Land, The Homecoming and
The Birthday Party, were generally claustrophobic affairs that dealt with tensions within dysfunctional families. The British-born Nobel Prize winner was often a lightening rod for controversy due to his radical, left-wing politics. Pinter once refused a knighthood from Prime Minister John Major's government because he so loathed conservative policies. In recent years, he publicly lambasted both the British and American governments over the Iraq War. Pinter was multi-talented and also wrote screenplays for such films as
The Go-Between, The French Lieutenant's Woman, The Quiller Memorandum and the recent remake of
Sleuth. He also dabbled in acting, appearing in small roles in many major films. For more
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