Kneale, Nigel

Thomas Nigel Kneale (18 April 1922 – 29 October 2006) was a Manx screenwriter and author whose career spanned between 1946 and 1997. Predominantly a writer of thrillers that used science fiction and horror elements, he was best known for creating the fictional scientist Professor Bernard Quatermass. He has been described as "one of the most influential writers of the 20th century", and as "having invented popular TV". Born in England and raised on the Isle of Man, Kneale studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, beginning his entertainment career with BBC Radio. He won the 1950 Somerset Maugham Award for his short story collection Tomato Cain & Other Stories. Kneale was most active in television, joining BBC Television in 1951; his final script was transmitted on ITV in 1997. His breakthrough as a screenwriter came in 1953, writing the highly successful BBC television serial The Quatermass Experiment. Kneale's signature character went on to appear in various television, film and radio productions written by Kneale for the BBC, Hammer Film Productions and Thames Television between 1953 and 1996. Kneale wrote original scripts and successfully adapted works by writers such as George Orwell, John Osborne, H. G. Wells and Susan Hill. He also wrote well-received television dramas such as The Year of the Sex Olympics (1968) and The Stone Tape (1972). Kneale was twice nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay, for Look Back in Anger (1959) and The Entertainer (1960), both directed by Tony Richardson. He received the Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2001.