Roland Pertwee

Born in Sussex in 1885, Roland Pertwee built a remarkably varied career in the arts. He is remembered as an English playwright as well as a film and television screenwriter, director, and actor, working across several decades while British popular entertainment was rapidly changing.

His writing reached both the stage and the screen, and he was active in the industry from the 1910s through the 1950s. That breadth makes him an interesting figure for listeners who enjoy authors connected to the wider world of theatre and early film, not just the printed page.

Pertwee died in 1963. He was also part of a well-known acting family: he was the father of Jon Pertwee and Michael Pertwee, and later generations of the family included actors such as Sean Pertwee.