Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England; educated at Exeter College, Oxford (BA, modern history, 1957). Began his career writing for and appearing in the "Beyond the Fringe" revue with Jonathan Miller, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. An accomplished playwright and actor, Bennett's screenwriting credits include the penetrating study of spy Guy Burgess, AN ENGLISHMAN ABROAD (1983), and the telling portrait of playwright Joe Orton, PRICK UP YOUR EARS (1987). His play The History Boys won both the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2005 and the Tony® Award for Best Play in 2006. Bennett adapted it for the screen in 2006. He also wrote the story and screenplay for A PRIVATE FUNCTION (1984) and many teleplays for British television. As an actor, Bennett provided the voice for Mole in the 1996 animated version of Kenneth Graham's The Wind in the Willows. As a playwright, some years earlier, he wrote a marvellous and hugely successful stage adaptation of the same book. He also received an Olivier Award in 2005 (his fifth) for Lifetime Achievement.  Nominated for Achievement in Writing - Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published 1994: THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE 1 nomination