William Nicholson (writer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Nicholson
OBE FRSL
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| Born | William Benedict Nicholson 12 January 1948 Lewes, Sussex, England |
| Occupation | Screenwriter, playwright, and novelist |
| Education |
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| Notable awards | |
William Benedict Nicholson (born 12 January 1948) is a talented British writer. He writes for movies, plays, and books. He has even been nominated for an Oscar twice!
Contents
William Nicholson's Early Life
William Nicholson grew up on a farm in Hillesley, Gloucestershire, England. He was born in Lewes, Sussex. From a young age, he knew he wanted to be a writer. When he was a teenager, he even started a local newspaper for his village called The Hillesley Harvester. He went to Downside School and then Christ's College at Cambridge University.
William Nicholson's Writing Career
William Nicholson started his career working for the BBC. He directed documentary films in the 1970s and 1980s. He became well-known for his books and plays. His popular Wind On Fire book series won awards. The first book in the series won the Blue Peter best book award. It also won the Smarties Gold Award for Best Children's Book. He has written many novels and fantasy stories.
He married another author, Virginia Nicholson, in 1988.
Writing for Stage and Screen
William Nicholson has written many successful plays and movie scripts. He was nominated for two Tony Awards for his plays Shadowlands and The Retreat from Moscow.
He also adapted his play Shadowlands into a BBC-TV show in 1985. Later, it became a famous movie in 1993. This movie starred Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. It was directed by Richard Attenborough.
William Nicholson also wrote scripts for other movies. These include Nell (1994), First Knight (1995), and Grey Owl (1999). He was also a writer for the amazing movie Gladiator (2000). This movie won an Oscar for Best Picture.
He also directed his first movie, Firelight, in 1997.
In 2007, he helped write Elizabeth: The Golden Age. In 2012, he adapted the famous musical Les Misérables into a movie. This movie was directed by Tom Hooper. After that, he wrote several more historical movies. These include Unbroken, Everest, and Breathe. He directed another movie called Hope Gap in 2019.
Awards and Recognitions
William Nicholson has received many awards and nominations for his work. In 1994, he was nominated for a BAFTA and an Oscar for his movie script for Shadowlands.
In 1999, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This is a special honor for writers.
The year 2000 was a big year for him. His work on Gladiator earned him nominations for Best Screenplay from both BAFTA and the Oscars.
In 2015, he was given the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award. This was for his great contributions to drama and literature.
William Nicholson's Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Martin Luther, Heretic | Norman Stone | Television film |
| 1985 | Shadowlands | Norman Stone | Television film |
| 1990 | The March | David Wheatley | Television film |
| 1993 | Shadowlands | Richard Attenborough | Nominated- Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated- BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay |
| 1994 | Nell | Michael Apted | |
| 1995 | First Knight | Jerry Zucker | |
| 1997 | Firelight | Himself | Directorial debut |
| 1999 | Grey Owl | Richard Attenborough | |
| 2000 | Gladiator | Ridley Scott | Nominated- Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated- BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay |
| 2007 | Elizabeth: The Golden Age | Shekhar Kapur | |
| 2012 | Les Misérables | Tom Hooper | |
| 2013 | Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom | Justin Chadwick | |
| 2014 | Unbroken | Angelina Jolie | |
| 2015 | Everest | Baltasar Kormákur | |
| 2017 | Breathe | Andy Serkis | |
| 2019 | Hope Gap | Himself | |
| 2022 | Thirteen Lives | Ron Howard |
See also
In Spanish: William Nicholson (escritor) para niños
