Born Tomas Straussler in Zlin, Czechoslovakia (now Gottwaldov, Czech Republic). English-language playwright celebrated for his verbal acrobatics and madcap intellectual conceits. Stoppard first made his name in 1968 with the playful, breathlessly inventive Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a play loosely related to Hamlet but with its feet firmly in the absurdist tradition of Beckett and Pinter. He consolidated his reputation with the philosophical whodunnit, Jumpers, and the Wildean historical farce, Travesties, and collaborated on THE ROMANTIC ENGLISHWOMAN, in 1975. Stoppard's script for Fassbinder's DESPAIR (1979) was transposed from the Nabokov novel, and THE HUMAN FACTOR (1979) was based on the Graham Greene work. He earned plaudits for his contribution to Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL (1985) and made an acclaimed film directorial debut with his own adaptation of ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD (1990). His later theatrical works continue to be inventive and thought-provoking. Arcadia (1993) enjoyed wide public acceptance and many regional productions. The Invention of Love (1997) and The Coast of Utopia (Voyage/Shipwreck/Salvage) (2002) were nominated for Laurence Olivier Theatre Awards for Best New Play of their respective years. His 1998 collaboration with Marc Norman on Best Picture winner SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE once again integrated life and the stage and earned them an Oscar®. He worked as script doctor and did uncredited re-writes on INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989), SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999), K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER (2002) and others. Other notable screen credits (alone or in collaboration) include THE ENGAGEMENT (1970), DESPAIR (1978), THE HUMAN FACTOR (1979), EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987), THE RUSSIA HOUSE (1990), BILLY BATHGATE (1991), VATEL (2000, English adaptation) and ENIGMA (2001). Stoppard was appointed a C.B.E. in 1978, knighted in 1997, and appointed a Member of the Order of Merit in 2000.  Nominated for Writing (Best Screenplay written directly for the screen) 1985: BRAZIL (w. Terry Gilliam & Charles McKeown)  Writing (Best Screenplay written directly for the screen) 1998: SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (w. Marc Norman) 2 nominations, 1 Award