Born in Cape Town, South Africa; trained at RADA, London. He moved to London in 1951 and joined Sir Donald Wolfit's Shakespeare Company in 1953. He served as Sir Donald's dresser, as well as an actor with the company. Harwood began writing in 1960 and is now considered one of Britain's finest writers. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he is best known for his novels The Girl in Melanie Klein, The Guild Merchants and Articles of Faith, and for his plays The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold and The Dresser (1981). Other notable (non-nominated) screenwriting credits include A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA (1965), LA RAGAZZA CON LA PISTOLA / GIRL WITH A PISTOL (1968), EYEWITNESS and ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN DENISOVICH (both 1970), OPERATION DAYBREAK (1976), "Mandela" (1987, TV), CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY (1995), TAKING SIDES (2001), THE PIANIST (2002), THE STATEMENT (2003), BEING JULIA (2004), OLIVER TWIST (2005), LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON and LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA (both 2007), and AUSTRALIA and THE GIRL IN MELANIE KLEIN (both scheduled for 2008). Made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1974 and Commander of the British Empire (C.B.E.) in 1999, Harwood was president of the international PEN Club from 1993 to 1997 after chairing the British section during the four previous years.  Nominated for Writing (Best Screenplay based on material from another medium) 1983: THE DRESSER  Best Achievement in Writing (Adapted Screenplay) 2002: THE PIANIST  Nominated for Achievement in Writing (Adapted Screenplay) 2007: LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON (THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY) 3 nominations, 1 Award