Bill Naughton | |
|---|---|
 Bill and Erna Naughton, photographed byColin O'Brien, 1962 | |
| Born | (1910-06-12)12 June 1910 Ballyhaunis,County Mayo, Ireland |
| Died | 9 January 1992(1992-01-09) (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Playwright,screenwriter,novelist |
| Genre | Fiction |
William John Francis Naughton (12 June 1910 – 9 January 1992) was anIrish-born Britishplaywright andauthor, best known for his playAlfie.[1]
Born into relative poverty inBallyhaunis,County Mayo, Ireland, he moved toBolton,Lancashire, England, in 1914 as a child.[2] There he attended Saint Peter and Paul's School, and worked as a weaver, coal-bagger and lorry-driver before he started writing with his wife.[1]
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His stage play,Alfie, adapted for the1966 film starringMichael Caine in the eponymous role, originated in a radio play,Alfie Elkins and His Little Life, first broadcast on theBBC Third Programme in 1962, which became a production at theMermaid Theatre in 1963. It transferred to theWest End before a very brief run onBroadway. Naughton was a prolific writer of plays, novels, short stories and children's books. His preferred environment was working-class society, which is reflected in much of his written work.
In addition toAlfie, two of his other plays have been made into feature films,All in Good Time (1963), filmed asThe Family Way (1966), starringJohn Mills, andSpring and Port Wine (1970), starringJames Mason in the role of Rafe Crompton, an adaptation of a play first performed in 1959.[3]
His novelAlfie Darling, the sequel to his earlier novel and play,was also filmed, withAlan Price succeeding Michael Caine in the lead role. BothAlfie andAlfie Darling were drawn upon for the2004 film with Jude Law in the eponymous role.
His work also includes the novelOne Small Boy (1957), and the collection of short storiesThe Goalkeeper's Revenge And Other Stories (1961). His 1977 children's novelMy Pal Spadger is an account of his childhood in 1920s Bolton. His wife died in 2014 aged 85.
Many of his plays were performed at theOctagon Theatre, Bolton. An 85-seat adaptable studio theatre within the Octagon is named after him.
During his lifetime, he received the following awards:
Naughton died in 1992, aged 81, inBallasalla on theIsle of Man. A "Bill Naughton Short Story Competition", administered by The Kenny/Naughton Autumn School, was named in his honour.[4][5]
