David Wood (actor)
David Bernard Wood OBE is an English actor, author, composer, director, magician and producer. The Times called him "the National Children's Dramatist". In 1979, he joined Bernard Cribbins, Maurice Denham, and Jan Francis in a reading of The Hobbit for the BBC Television show Jackanory. He was awarded an honorary MA by the University of Chichester in 2005.
Early life
Wood was born on 21 February 1944 in Sutton, Surrey. He was educated at Chichester High School for Boys and Worcester College, Oxford.Stage work
Along with John Gould, he founded the Whirligig Theatre, a touring children's theatre company.His most famous story, The Gingerbread Man, has been all across the world since its premiere at the Towngate Theatre in Basildon. Wood, FilmFair, and Central adapted the musical into an animated children's television series. The adaptation, also called The Gingerbread Man, aired on ITV in 1992.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List, for his services to literature and drama.
From 1966–70, he was married to actress Sheila Ruskin.
Film career
Among his film roles are Johnny in Lindsay Anderson's If... and Thompson in Aces High. He appeared as the character Bingo Little in the original London cast of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn musical Jeeves in 1975.He wrote the screenplay for the 1974 adaptation of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons, released by Anglo EMI.
Plays
Original works:The Plotters Of Cabbage Patch Corner Flibberty and the Penguin The Papertown Paperchase Hijack Over Hygenia The Gingerbread Man, a musical inspired by the 19th-century fairy tale "The Gingerbread Man"Nutcracker Sweet The Ideal Gnome Expedition The Selfish Shellfish The See-Saw TreeAdaptations of Roald Dahl's books for children:The BFG, adapted from The BFG The Witches, adapted from The Witches The Twits, adapted from The Twits Fantastic Mr Fox, adapted from Fantastic Mr Fox James And The Giant Peach, adapted from James And The Giant Peach Danny The Champion Of The World, adapted from Danny the Champion of the World George's Marvellous Medicine, adapted from George's Marvellous Medicine The Magic Finger, adapted from The Magic Finger
Other adaptations of English authors of children's literature:The Owl and the Pussycat went to See.... co-written with Sheila Ruskin, based on the nonsense poetry of Edward LearMeg and Mog, adapted from Helen Nicoll's books about her characters Meg and MogNoddy, adapted from Enid Blyton's books about her character NoddyRupert Bear, adapted from Mary Tourtel's comic strip Rupert Bear Babe, the Sheep-Pig, adapted from Dick King-Smith's The Sheep-Pig Spot's Birthday Party, adapted from the Spot books by Eric Hill Tom's Midnight Garden. adapted from Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce The Tiger Who Came To Tea, adapted from Judith Kerr's The Tiger Who Came To Tea Guess How Much I Love You, adapted from Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You Goodnight Mister Tom, adapted from Michelle Magorian's Goodnight Mister Tom
OtherThe Old Man of Lochnagar, adapted from King Charles III's The Old Man of Lochnagar
Adaptations of adult literature:The Go-Between, adapted from L.P. Hartley's ''The Go-Between''