Record

Code	DS/UK/1
Dates	1946-present
Person Name	Russell; William Martin (Willy) (1946-present); Writer
Surname	Russell
Forenames	William Martin (Willy)
Epithet	Writer
Activity	Willy Russell is a playwright and musician who was born in Liverpool on 23 August 1946. Having left school at 15, Russell worked as a hairdresser and shelf-stacker in a warehouse. He returned to education at age 20 and attended St Katherine’s College to train as a teacher. He began to write while at Saint Katherine’s and a collection of his early works was presented by the College at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1972. While working as a teacher, Willy Russell continued to write for the theatre and for television. He produced several television dramas for the BBC, including Our Day Out, which was first broadcast in 1977. Much of his early theatre work was produced at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, including: John, Paul George, Ringo…and Bert; When The Reds…; Breezeblock Park; and Stags and Hens (see EVT for the papers of the Liverpool Everyman Theatre). He was represented by the literary agent Margaret Ramsay from 1974-1991. During the 1980s, Willy Russell wrote Educating Rita for the Royal Shakespeare Company, which premiered in London. The play has been performed all over the world and was made into a film starring Julie Walters and Michael Caine, for which the screenplay was also written by Russell. Russell wrote and composed Blood Brothers, which premiered in Liverpool at Fuse Theatre in 1981 (see reference FT for the papers of Fuse: New Theatre for Young People), and has been in continuous production in the UK since 1987. Likewise, Russell’s Shirley Valentine, which premiered at the Everyman Theatre, transferred to the West End and was adapted for film, starring Pauline Collins. Willy Russell wrote the screenplay and music. Other work by Russell also shown in the 1980s includes: the premiere of One For The Road; the television drama One Summer; the composition of the theme for the television series Connie; and the film Mr Love. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Russell performed on multiple tours, including Words on the Run with Merseybeat poets Adrian Henri, Brian Patten, Roger McGough, as well as the musician Andy Roberts, and The Singing Playwrights with writer Tim Firth. He also wrote the screenplay for the film Dancin’ Thru The Dark, an adaptation of his play Stags and Hens. His first novel entitled The Wrong Boy was published in 2000 to wide critical acclaim, and has been translated into fifteen languages. In 2003, Willy Russell produced his first album, Hoovering the Moon. Willy Russell has won: the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy for Educating Rita (1980) and for Shirley Valentine (1988); the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical for Blood Brothers (1983); and the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Screenplay for Shirley Valentine (1988). His nominations include: an Academy Award; a BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay; a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for Educating Rita (1984); a BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay for Shirley Valentine (1990); Tony Awards for Best Play for Shirley Valentine (1990); and Best Book of a Musical for Blood Brothers (1993). Willy Russell has also received an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University; an Honorary Doctorate of Literature from the University of Liverpool; and is a companion of the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).