Alan Bennett is an English playwright, author, actor and screenwriter. Over his entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two Tony Awards. He also earned an Academy Award nomination for his film The Madness of King George (1994). In 2005 he received the Society of London Theatre Special Award.
Bennett in 1973; photographed by Allan Warren
Bennett (second left) in Beyond the Fringe on Broadway c. 1962
A 2007 production of Bennett's The History Boys at The Doon School, India.
The headstone, in Larch Wood (Railway Cutting) cemetery, of Alan Bennett's Uncle Clarence, subject of a 1985 radio monologue
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, but they were renamed in honour of the British actor of the same name in 1984.
Laurence Olivier Award, designed by the sculptor Harry Franchetti, depicting Olivier as Henry V at The Old Vic in 1937
Image: Mark Gatiss by Gage Skidmore 2
Image: Nicole Scherzinger 2012
Judi Dench has a record seven competitive Oliviers, and also won a Special Olivier in 2004
