Peter Shaffer

After attending Trinity College, Cambridge, Peter Shaffer worked several jobs before becoming successful as a playwright: he was a “Bevin Boy” coal miner during World War II, and later worked as an assistant at the New York Public Library. His first big break as a playwright was Five Finger Exercise, which debuted in 1958 in London. Equus, written in 1973, received the Tony Award for Best Play in 1975. He received the same award for the play Amadeus. Equus and Amadeus both hold the special distinction of having run for over 1000 performances on Broadway. In 1987 Shaffer was named a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, in recognition of his significant achievements in the realm of playwriting.