David Wood (actor) facts for kids

David Bernard Wood OBE (born February 21, 1944) is a very talented English artist. He is an actor, writer, composer, and director. Many people call him "the National Children's Dramatist." This means he is super important for creating plays and stories for kids. He even read The Hobbit on the TV show Jackanory in 1979.

David Wood's Early Life

David Wood was born in Sutton, Surrey, England. This happened on February 21, 1944. He went to Chichester High School for Boys for his education. Later, he studied at Worcester College, Oxford, a famous university.

Amazing Stage Work

David Wood loves creating theatre for young people. He helped start a special touring theatre company. It was called the Whirligig Theatre. This company traveled around to perform plays for children.

The Gingerbread Man Musical

One of his most famous stories is The Gingerbread Man. This musical first opened in 1976. Since then, it has been performed all over the world. David Wood also helped turn his musical into a cartoon TV show. The show was also called The Gingerbread Man. It aired on ITV in 1992.

Special Recognition

In 2004, David Wood received a special award. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award was given to him for his great work in literature and drama. It shows how much his contributions are valued.

David Wood's Film Career

David Wood has also acted in movies. He played Johnny in the film If... in 1968. He was also Thompson in the movie Aces High in 1976. He even appeared in a musical called Jeeves in London.

He also wrote the screenplay for a movie. This was for the 1974 film Swallows and Amazons. It was based on the popular book by Arthur Ransome.

Wonderful Plays for Children

David Wood has written many original plays. He has also adapted many beloved children's books for the stage.

Original Plays by David Wood

• The Plotters Of Cabbage Patch Corner (1970)
• Flibberty and the Penguin (1971)
• The Papertown Paperchase (1972)
• Hijack Over Hygenia (1973)
• The Gingerbread Man (1976) – a musical inspired by the classic fairy tale
• Nutcracker Sweet (1977)
• The Ideal Gnome Expedition (1980)
• The Selfish Shellfish (1983)
• The See-Saw Tree (1986)

Roald Dahl Book Adaptations

David Wood has brought many of Roald Dahl's fantastic books to life on stage:

• The BFG (1991), from The BFG (1982)
• The Witches (1992), from The Witches (1983)
• The Twits (1999), from The Twits (1979)
• Fantastic Mr Fox (2001), from Fantastic Mr Fox (1970)
• James And The Giant Peach (2001), from James And The Giant Peach (1961)
• Danny The Champion Of The World (2004), from Danny the Champion of the World (1975)
• George's Marvellous Medicine (2009), from George's Marvellous Medicine (1981)
• The Magic Finger (2013), from The Magic Finger (1962)

Other Book Adaptations

He has also adapted many other popular children's books:

• The Owl and the Pussycat went to See.... (1968) – based on poems by Edward Lear
• Meg and Mog (1981) – from Helen Nicoll's books about Meg and Mog
• Noddy (1993) – from Enid Blyton's books about Noddy
• Rupert Bear (1993) – from Mary Tourtel's comic strip Rupert Bear
• Babe, the Sheep-Pig (1997) – from Dick King-Smith's The Sheep-Pig
• Spot's Birthday Party (2000) – from the Spot books by Eric Hill
• Tom's Midnight Garden (2000) – from Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
• The Tiger Who Came To Tea (2008) – from Judith Kerr's The Tiger Who Came To Tea
• Guess How Much I Love You (2010) – from Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You
• Goodnight Mister Tom (2011) – from Michelle Magorian's Goodnight Mister Tom