Born in Liverpool, England; educated at St. Paul's School and Trinity College, Cambridge. British dramatist, familiar to American audiences as the author of Equus, Five Finger Exercise, The Private Ear and the Public Eye, The Royal Hunt of the Sun and Amadeus, all of which have been adapted to the screen by him or others. He worked in the Acquisitions Department of the New York Public Library and for music publisher Boosey & Hawkes before finding fame as a playwright. His twin brother, Anthony Shaffer -- also a playwright and screenwriter [SLEUTH (1972), MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974), DEATH ON THE NILE ((1978) and EVIL UNDER THE SUN (1982)] -- died in 2001. His sister-in-law is actress Diane Cilento.  Nominated for Writing (Best Screenplay based on material from another medium) 1977: EQUUS  Writing (Best Screenplay based on material from another medium) 1984: AMADEUS 2 nominations, 1 Award