Harold Pinter was born on 10 October 1930 in Hackney, East London. His father was a tailor, and Pinter grew up in a Jewish family.

He was nine when the Second World War began and was evacuated from London. After returning, he attended Hackney Downs Grammar School, where school productions encouraged his interest in acting.

Pinter studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Central School of Speech and Drama. He worked in repertory theatre, sometimes using the stage name David Baron, while developing his writing.

He performed his first play, The Room, in Bristol in 1957. The Birthday Party followed in 1958, but its initial London run was short. The Caretaker, first staged in 1960, established his reputation as a playwright.

His plays often combined ordinary conversations with threats, silences and struggles for control. Later works included The Homecoming and Betrayal. He also wrote screenplays and directed theatre productions.

Pinter received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005. He died in London on 24 December 2008.