David Seidler facts for kids

David Seidler (born August 4, 1937 – died March 16, 2024) was a talented writer from both Britain and America. He wrote stories for plays, movies, and television shows.

David Seidler is most famous for writing The King's Speech. This popular story was made into both a play and a movie. For the film version, he won two very important awards: an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) and a BAFTA. These awards are given for the best original screenplay, which means he wrote the story and script himself.

David Seidler's Early Life

David Seidler was born in London, England. He grew up in a Jewish family that was quite well-off. His mother, Doris, was an artist who made prints and designs. His father, Bernard, bought and sold animal furs.

When David was young, during World War II, his family moved to the United States. This was because of the London Blitz, when German planes bombed London. On their journey across the ocean, their ship was part of a group of three. One of the other ships was sunk by German submarines, called U-boats.

How a Stammer Began

During this scary trip, before he turned three, David developed a stammer. A stammer makes it hard to speak smoothly. He thought his stammer might have been caused by the stress of the war. As a teenager, he often stayed quiet because he felt uncomfortable.

Many types of speech therapy did not help him much. But when he was 16, something changed. He decided that if he was going to stammer, people would just have to listen to him. He had been sad about it, but then he became determined. He felt he deserved to be heard.

First Steps in Acting

Just two weeks later, he tried out for his school play. It was called Androcles and the Lion. He even got a small part! He played a Christian character who was supposed to be eaten by a lion. Years later, he used this experience in his play about King George VI.

David later went to Cornell University. He studied English and finished his degree in 1959.

Childhood Hero

As he got older, David decided he wanted to be a writer. One of his first stories was called The Adventures of a Penny. It was about a penny traveling from person to person.

David remembered George VI as a hero from his childhood. King George VI also had a stammer. David's parents would encourage him by saying, "David, he was a much worse stutterer than you. But listen to him now. He can give magnificent speeches that helped the world." This gave David hope.

David Seidler's Career in Writing

David Seidler came to Hollywood when he was 40 years old. His first job there was writing for a movie called Tucker: The Man and His Dream. For some time, he worked with Jacqueline Feather as a writing team called Feather & Seidler.

The King's Speech Story

David always wanted to write about King George VI. Since David also had a stammer, the story was very important to him. He started researching the king's life in the 1970s.

He found the son of Lionel Logue, who was the speech therapist for King George VI. His son, Valentine Logue, was a brain surgeon. David wrote to him in 1981. Valentine was happy to talk and even offered to share his father's private notebooks. But there was one condition: David needed written permission from the Queen Mother (King George VI's wife).

David wrote to the Queen Mother. Her private secretary replied, asking him not to work on the project while she was alive. So, David stopped the project in 1982.

Bringing the Story to Life

The Queen Mother passed away in 2002. But David didn't start working on the story again until 2005. At that time, he was battling throat cancer. This difficult period inspired him to be creative.

He wrote the first draft of his movie script. His wife and writing partner at the time suggested he turn it into a stage play first. She thought that the limited space of a stage would help him focus on the main relationships in the story.

In 2011, David Seidler won a BAFTA award for Best Original Screenplay. He also won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the movie The King's Speech.

While writing the script, David found out something interesting. His own uncle, also named David, also had a stammer. And his grandfather had sent this uncle to see Lionel Logue, the same speech therapist who helped the King!

Other Works

David Seidler wrote many other films and TV shows. Some of his notable works include:

• Adventures of the Seaspray (TV series)
• Malice in Wonderland (TV film)
• Tucker: The Man and His Dream (Feature film)
• Quest for Camelot (Feature film)
• The King and I (Feature film)
• Madeline: Lost in Paris (Direct-to-video film)

Death

David Seidler passed away in New Zealand on March 16, 2024. He was 86 years old. He had been married to Mary Ann Tharaldsen, Huia Newton, and Jacqueline Feather.

Awards and Nominations

David Seidler received many awards and nominations for his writing.

See also

In Spanish: David Seidler para niños