Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The inspiration to write the story for BILLY ELLIOT (2000) came in a flash to screenwriter Lee Hall while living in America and writing about his own childhood. The story gestated for about a year, mostly because Hall was working on other projects, then in a flurry of inspiration, he completed the first draft in three weeks. After further researching the art of ballet by visiting the Royal Ballet School to interview dancers hailing from small villages like Billy's, Hall showed the screenplay to Greg Brenman, head of Tiger Aspect's drama department, who was immediately taken by the story. "The idea of a young boy growing up in a tough mining village who wants to become a ballet dancer was fantastically engaging," says Brenman. The script was developed with executive producer Tessa Ross at BBC Films, and when Brenman felt it was ready he contacted producer Jon Finn who was heading up WT2, a division of Working Title Films, the company behind such hits as NOTTING HILL, ELIZABETH and FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL. Appointed in 1996 as production executive for Working Title Films, Finn set up WT2 with executive producer Natascha Wharton in 1999. WT2 aims to cultivate the talent of emerging writers, directors and producers in the UK. BILLY ELLIOT was WT2's first project. Hall's other notable writing credits include "The Student Prince" (1997, TV), SPOONFACE STEINBERG (1998, play, screenplay), GABRIEL & ME (2001), the 2006 TV adaptation of "The Wind in the Willows", and HIPPIE HIPPIE SHAKE (2008). His play Cooking with Elvis received an Olivier Theatre Award nomination for Best Comedy of 2000. Hall adapted BILLY ELLIOT to the musical stage, writing the book and lyrics for Elton John's music. The play debuted in London in 2005; it is scheduled to open on Broadway in October, 2008, under Stephen Daldry's direction.  Nominated for Achievement in Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) 2000: BILLY ELLIOT 1 nomination