Tom Stoppard, playwright of dazzling wit and playful erudition

 

 

"He combined more than 30 plays for the theatre with a steady stream of works for television and radio, and with screenplays including an adaptation of John le Carré’s The Russia House, Terry Gilliam’s Brazil and a joint credit for the Oscar-winning screenplay of Shakespeare in Love.

But his influence went far further than his on-screen credits would suggest: he was the go-to writer for blockbusters in need of a bit of spit and polish (including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and the Star Wars adventure Revenge of the Sith). Steven Spielberg once dragged him out of the shower with an urgent phone call to discuss a problem with Schindler’s List."

more by Claire Armitstead and Chris Wiegand:  

Tom Stoppard, playwright of dazzling wit and playful erudition, dies aged 88 | Tom Stoppard | The Guardian