Harold Pinter - playwright has died aged 78

Playwright, Harold Pinter has died at the age of 78, after a 6 year battle with cancer.

He died on 24 December 2008. His second wife, Lady Antonia Fraser, told the Guardian newspaper: "He was a great, and it was a privilege to live with him for over 33 years."

He had written around 30 plays including 'The Birthday Party,' 'The Caretaker,' 'The Homecoming,' and 'Betrayal.' He wrote over 20 screenplays including 'The Servant,' 'The Go-Between' and 'The French Lieutenant's Woman.'

Eight of his plays have been produced on Broadway, with the original production of 'The Homecoming' (1967) winning the Tony Award for best play. His work was last performed on Broadway in 2007, in a 40th anniversary revival of 'The Homecoming' which starred Ian McShane, Ra�l Esparza and Eve Best, directed by Daniel Sullivan.

Harold Pinter, was born 10 October 1930 in East London was considered one the the world's greatest playrights. He also directed and acted and is also well-known for his left-wing political views and was a critic of US and UK foreign policy.

In 2005, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and in 2002, Pinter was made a Companion of Honour by the Queen for services to Literature.