Harold Pinter (10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party (1957), The Homecoming (1964), and Betrayal (1978), each of which he adapted for the screen. His screenplay adaptations of others' works include The Servant (1963), The Go-Between (1971), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), The Trial (1993), and Sleuth (2007). He also directed or acted in radio, stage, television, and film productions of his own and others' works.
Pinter was born and raised in Hackney, east London, and educated at Hackney Downs School. He was a sprinter and a keen cricket player, acting in school plays and writing poetry. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art but did not complete the course. He was fined for refusing national service as a conscientious objector. Subsequently, he continued training at the Central School of Speech and Drama and worked in repertory theatre in Ireland and England. In 1956 he married actress Vivien Merchant and had a son, Daniel, born in 1958. He left Merchant in 1975 and married author Lady Antonia Fraser in 1980.
Pinter's career as a playwright began with a production of The Room in 1957. His second play, The Birthday Party, closed after eight performances, but was enthusiastically reviewed by critic Harold Hobson. His early works were described by critics as "comedy of menace". Later plays such as No Man's Land (1975) and Betrayal (1978) became known as "memory plays". He appeared as an actor in productions of his own work on radio and film. He also undertook a number of roles in works by other writers. He directed nearly 50 productions for stage, theatre and screen. Pinter received over 50 awards, prizes, and other honours, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005 and the French Légion d'honneur in 2007.
Despite frail health after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in December 2001, Pinter continued to act on stage and screen, last performing the title role of Samuel Beckett's one-act monologue Krapp's Last Tape, for the 50th anniversary season of the Royal Court Theatre, in October 2006. He died from liver cancer on 24 December 2008.
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Some of their strengths
Harold Pinter has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Diplomatic, Artistic, Generous, Optimistic, Inquisitive, Practical, and Honest.
Intelligent and Inquisitive
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Harold Pinter is someone who is an intelligent, inquisitive, and imaginative person, who is practical, considerate, kind, and diplomatic in dealings with others. A person who is ambitious and motivated.
Soulful and Intuitive
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Harold Pinter well know them as someone who can be graceful, romantic, and reserved, like gentle rain.
Optimistic and Frank
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Harold Pinter as someone who is optimistic, principled, adventurous, and direct.
A person who isn't shy about expressing their opinions, loves competition, loves learning things themself, who is known for being inventive and original, and who loves being surrounded by friends and loved ones.
Inquisitive and Progressive
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Harold Pinter is someone who is an eternal student who is always interested in learning new things, and who has a desire to shake things up and change things.
They are also someone who is intuitive, imaginative, and an agent of change, and who is always dreaming of life's great possibilities and partnering with people to try to achieve those possibilities.
Justice-seeking and Peaceful
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Harold Pinter tends to be someone who loves peace and is ready to go to any costs to achieve it. Who has a taste for the good things in life, tends to be a good organizer, has a thirst for knowledge, and who tends to have the respect of friends and acquaintances.
Some of Harold Pinter's challenges
While Harold Pinter has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Harold Pinter can be Stubborn, Hesitant, Narcissistic, Idle, Suspicious, Pushy, and Restless.
Hesitant and Narcissistic
One of Harold Pinter's key challenges is that they are someone who can be hesitant and narcissistic.
Harold Pinter must also exercise caution as they can be short-tempered and aggressive, and can be excessive and unrealistic.
Pushy and Restless
Harold Pinter is someone who can be arrogant and bossy, who can have difficulty concentrating and focusing, be unable to separate emotions from business decisions, and who can engage in excessive spending in support of an expensive lifestyle and habits.
Pleasure-seeking and Indecisive
Finally, Harold Pinter also can put others first too much, and hem-and-haw too much when making a decision.