William Benedict Nicholson, OBE,

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...

(born 12 January 1948) is a British screenwriter, playwright, and novelist who has been nominated twice for an Oscar.

Early life

A native of

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of t ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...

, William Nicholson was raised in a

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family in Gloucestershire. By the time he reached his tenth birthday he had decided to become a writer. He was educated at Downside School,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

, and Christ's College,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Career

At the start of his career Nicholson worked for the BBC as a director of

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

s with numerous works to his credit between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s. He gained renown as a novelist and playwright when the first book of his popular ''

Wind On Fire ''Wind on Fire'' is a fantasy trilogy written by William Nicholson. Plot overview The books are set in a realm similar to ours, but separate. They tell the story of the Hath family and the Manth people, who go on a long, harsh journey from th ...

'' trilogy won the

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Te ...

best book award and the Smarties Gold Award for Best Children's Book. He has written several novels and fantasy books. He married author

Virginia Nicholson Virginia Nicholson (née Bell) (born 1955) is an English non-fiction author known for her works of women's history in the first half of the twentieth century. Nicholson was born in Newcastle and grew up in Leeds before becoming a television rese ...

(née Bell) in 1988.

Screenplays and theatre

He has twice been nominated for

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

for best play, for '' Shadowlands'' and ''

The Retreat from Moscow ''The Retreat from Moscow'' is a play written by William Nicholson. The play is about the end of a three-decade marriage and the subsequent emotional fallout. The title is taken from Napoleon's costly invasion of Moscow and the subsequent retre ...

''. He also turned ''Shadowlands'', based on the relationship between

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...

and Joy Gresham, into a

BBC-TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 1 ...

play in 1985, and an acclaimed film in 1993. The latter starred

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

and Debra Winger and was directed by

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisi ...

. Following screenplays included ''

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'' (1994), ''

First Knight ''First Knight'' is a 1995 medieval film based on Arthurian legend, directed by Jerry Zucker. It stars Sean Connery as King Arthur, Richard Gere as Lancelot, Julia Ormond as Guinevere and Ben Cross as Malagant. The film follows the rogue L ...

'' (1995) and '' Grey Owl'' (1999). He later worked as a writer on the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winning epic ''

Gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

'' (2000), which had a very difficult production, and made his directorial debut with the 1997 film '' Firelight''. In 2007, Nicholson co-wrote '' Elizabeth: The Golden Age'', from an earlier script by Michael Hirst. In 2012, Nicholson adapted the hit musical ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' into a

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directed by Tom Hooper. Following this, Nicholson would write several more historical dramas, such as '' Unbroken'', ''

Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...

'' and '' Breathe''. He directed another film, ''Hope Gap'', in 2019.

Awards, nominations and honours

William Nicholson's first nomination came in 1989 when BAFTA TV Awards included the 1987 teleplay ''Sweet as You Are'', which he co-wrote with Ruth Caleb and Angela Pope, on its list of candidates for Best Single Drama. His next nominations were for 1994's ''Shadowlands'', when he was a contender for both a BAFTA and an Oscar for

Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...

. 1997 was another successful year, with an Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination for the 1996 TV drama ''

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''. He was also singled out at the San Sebastian International Film Festival for '' Firelight'', with a nomination for the Golden Seashell Award and a win of the Special Prize of the Jury. 2000 turned out to be Nicholson's most impressive year to date, with acclaim for the Best Picture Oscar winner ''Gladiator''. He had nominations for the Sierra Award from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards and the

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...

from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, followed by

Best Screenplay Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation, ...

nominations from both BAFTA and Oscar. He was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to drama and literature.2015 New Year Honours List
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Books

Fantasy novels

* ''

'' trilogy **''

The Wind Singer ''The Wind Singer'' is a young adult novel written by William Nicholson. It is the first book of the trilogy: Wind On Fire. It follows the quest of twins Kestrel and Bowman Hath, and their acquaintance Mumpo to restore the "Voice of the Wind Si ...

'' ** ''

Slaves of the Mastery ''Slaves of the Mastery'' is the second book in the ''Wind On Fire'' trilogy by William Nicholson. It picks up the story of twins Kestrel and Bowman five years on from the closing chapter of ''The Wind Singer ''The Wind Singer'' is a young ...

'' ** ''

Firesong ''Firesong'' is a book written by William Nicholson first published in 2002, and is the third part of the ''Wind On Fire'' trilogy. Plot summary ''Firesong'' begins with the Manth people deliberating over what action to take, now that the M ...

'' * '' Noble Warriors Trilogy'' ** '' Seeker'' (UK release 2005) ** '' Jango'' (UK release 2006) ** '' Noman'' (UK release 2007)

Novels

*''The Seventh Level, A Sexual Progress'' (1979) Why is this happening *''The Society of Others'' (UK release 2004) *''The Trial of True Love'' (UK release 2005) *'' The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life'' (UK release 2009) *''Rich and Mad'' (UK release 2010) *''All The Hopeful Lovers'' (UK release 2010) *''Motherland'' (UK release 2013) *''Reckless'' (UK release 2014) *''The Lovers of Amherst'' (UK release 2015) *''Adventures in Modern Marriage'' (UK release 2022

Stage plays

* ''Shadowlands'' (1989) - Writer * ''The Retreat from Moscow'' (1989) - Writer

Filmography

References

External links

Official website
*
Fansite
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, William 1948 births Living people 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 21st-century English novelists 21st-century British short story writers 21st-century British screenwriters 21st-century English male writers English film directors English children's writers English screenwriters English male screenwriters English fantasy writers People from Royal Tunbridge Wells People educated at Downside School Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature British writers of young adult literature People from Lewes Officers of the Order of the British Empire English male dramatists and playwrights English male short story writers English short story writers English male novelists