William Martin Russell (*1947), commonly known as “Willy” Russell, is an English playwright, author and screenwriter. Russell comes from a working class background and grew up in Liverpool, where he finished school at the age of 15 with one O-Level in English. Until the age of 20 he worked as a ladies’ hairdresser, but then decided to study drama at a teachers’ training college.
Russell has published numerous plays, musicals and film scripts. Educating Rita was first published as a play in 1980 and made into a movie in 1983. Russell has been presented with a number of awards for this play, among them a nomination for the Oscar in 1984 as “Best Adapted Screenplay”.
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