Famous Playwrights from England

List of notable or famous playwrights from England, with bios and photos, including the top playwrights born in England and even some popular playwrights who immigrated to England. If you're trying to find out the names of famous English playwrights then this list is the perfect resource for you. These playwrights are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known playwright from England is included when available.

A factual list, featuring people like Aphra Behn and Ben Elton.

This historic playwrights from England list can help answer the questions "Who are some English playwrights of note?" and "Who are the most famous playwrights from England?" These prominent playwrights of England may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected English playwrights.

Use this list of renowned English playwrights to discover some new playwrights that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. {#nodes}
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  • T. S. Eliot
    Dec. at 76 (1888-1965)
    • Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
    Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 1888 – 4 January 1965), "one of the twentieth century's major poets", was also an essayist, publisher, playwright, and literary and social critic. Born in St. ...more
  • Ben Elton
    Age: 64
    • Birthplace: Catford, London, United Kingdom
    Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is a British-Australian comedian, author, playwright, actor and director. He was a part of London's alternative comedy movement of the 1980s and became a ...more
  • Anthony Burgess
    Dec. at 76 (1917-1993)
    • Birthplace: England
    John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was predominantly a comic ...more
  • Sarah Kane
    Dec. at 28 (1971-1999)
    • Birthplace: Brentwood, United Kingdom
    Sarah Kane (3 February 1971 – 20 February 1999) was an English playwright who is known for her plays that deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture—both physical and ...more
  • Harold Pinter
    Dec. at 78 (1930-2008)
    • Birthplace: East End of London, Eurasia, London Borough of Hackney, Greater London, United Kingdom
    Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British ...more
  • Noël Coward
    Dec. at 73 (1899-1973)
    • Birthplace: Middlesex, Eurasia, United Kingdom, London, Teddington
    Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 1899 – 26 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of ...more