Kathleen Jeannette Halton Tynan (January 25, 1937 – January 10, 1995) was a Canadian-British journalist, author, and screenwriter.

Early life

Halton was the daughter of Canadian war correspondent

Matthew Halton Matthew Henry Halton (September 7, 1904 – December 3, 1956) was a Canadian television journalist, most famous as a foreign correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation during World War II. Biography Born in Pincher Creek, Alberta, ...

(1904–56) and Jean Campbell (1906–2001), and the sister of television journalist David Halton. She attended

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

before working for ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'', ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'', and ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'' in London. In 1967, she gave up her career in journalism to marry theatre critic

Kenneth Tynan Kenneth Peacock Tynan (2 April 1927 – 26 July 1980) was an English theatre critic and writer. Making his initial impact as a critic at ''The Observer'', he praised Osborne's ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956), and encouraged the emerging wave of ...

(1927–80). She had previously been married to Oliver Gates; that marriage ended in divorce. Kenneth Tynan was married when the couple's relationship began.Buck, Joan Juliet
"Obituary: Kathleen Tynan"
, ''The Independent'', January 11, 1995. Last accessed March 11, 2009. She also had a subsequent relationship with Franco-Swiss director Barbet Schroeder (born 1941).

Work

She published a novel, ''The Summer Aeroplane'', in 1975. The novel was later adapted into the film '' Agatha'' about the disappearance of Agatha Christie in the 1920s starring

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...

and

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...

. Tynan collaborated with

Arthur Hopcraft Arthur Hopcraft (30 November 1932 – 22 November 2004) was an English scriptwriter, well known for his TV plays such as '' The Nearly Man'', and for his small-screen adaptations such as ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''; '' Hard Times'', ''Ble ...

on the screenplay. She later wrote a screenplay based on

Louise Brooks Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) was an American film actress and dancer during the 1920s and 1930s. She is regarded today as an icon of the Jazz Age and flapper culture, in part due to the bob hairstyle that she helpe ...

' autobiography, ''Lulu in Hollywood'', although that film was never produced. Following Kenneth Tynan's death in 1980, she wrote the biography ''The Life of Kenneth Tynan'' (1987), her best-known book. She subsequently edited an anthology of her second husband's writing, ''Profiles'' (1990), and an anthology of his letters in 1994. She published some of her own theatre and literary criticism as well before her death from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1995. Kathleen Tynan was mentioned in

Helen Fielding Helen Fielding (born 19 February 1958) is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, and a sequence of novels and films beginning with the life of a thirty something singleton in Lo ...

's 1996 novel ''

Bridget Jones's Diary ''Bridget Jones's Diary'' is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire and written by Richard Curtis, Andrew Davies, and Helen Fielding. A co-production of the United Kingdom, United States and France, it is based on Fielding's 1 ...

'': "I read in an article that Kathleen Tynan, late wife of the late Kenneth, had 'inner poise' and, when writing, was to be found immaculately dressed, sitting at a small table in the center of the room sipping at a glass of chilled white wine", that information coming from Tynan's obituary by Joan Juliet Buck. In the television film, ''Kenneth Tynan: In Praise of Hardcore'' (2005), she was portrayed by

Catherine McCormack Catherine Jane McCormack (born 3 April 1972) is an English actress of stage and screen. Her film appearances include ''Braveheart'' (1995), ''The Land Girls'' (1998), ''Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' (1998), ''Spy Game'' (20 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tynan, Kathleen 1937 births 1995 deaths British people of Canadian descent Deaths from cancer 20th-century British novelists 20th-century British biographers 20th-century British screenwriters