John Osborne was a renowned British playwright and screenwriter, born on December 12, 1929, in London, England. His father, Thomas Godfrey Osborne, was a copywriter, and his mother, Nellie, was a Cockney barmaid. After his father's death in 1941, John received an insurance settlement that allowed him to attend Belmont College in Devon.
Osborne's introduction to the theater came through a job tutoring a touring company of junior actors. He became a stage manager and actor, eventually joining Anthony Creighton's provincial touring company. He wrote his second play, "Personal Enemy", in collaboration with Creighton, and their play "Epitaph for George Dillon" was staged at the Royal Court in 1958.
Osborne's breakthrough play, "Look Back in Anger", opened at the Royal Court in 1956 and was revolutionary in its portrayal of the working class. The play was a commercial success, transferring to Broadway and earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. It also made Osborne a household name, earning him the nickname "Angry Young Man".
Osborne's career continued to flourish in the 1960s, with his play "The Entertainer" (1960) and his Academy Award-winning screenplay for "Tom Jones" (1963). He also wrote the play "Luther" (1974),which starred Albert Finney and won a Tony Award for Best Play.
In addition to his work in the theater, Osborne was a vocal critic of social and political issues, using his platform to attack class barriers and social injustices. His play "A Patriot for Me" (1965) dealt with the blackmailing of a gay and possibly Jewish officer in a pre-World War I society, and its frank depiction of homosexuality was a major challenge to theatrical censorship in Britain.
Osborne's personal life was marked by five marriages and a tumultuous relationship with his mother. He died on December 24, 1994, at the age of 65, leaving behind a legacy as a transformed British theater and a voice for the working class.
