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Bruce Robinson (born May 2, 1946(1946-05-02)) is an English director, screenwriter, novelist and actor. He was born in Broadstairs in Kent. In his youth, Robinson dreamed of being an actor and was admitted to the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. His first film role was as Benvolio in Franco Zeffirelli`s film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (1968). He eventually became disenchanted with acting after spending several years out of work and living on social security payments and began writing screenplays and was soon commissioned by David Puttnam to write the screenplay for The Killing Fields (1984).
Robinson was nominated for an Academy Award and won a BAFTA for his work. He is perhaps best known as the creative force behind the film Withnail and I (1987). He wrote and directed the loosely autobiographical film, which draws on his experiences as an out-of-work actor. The character of `Withnail` is based on his friend, Vivian MacKerrell, and the character of `I` (Marwood) is based on himself. This film also launched the acting career of Richard E. Grant. Withnail and I was unsuccessful at the box office, but developed a cult following after its video release. It is now considered a modern classic.
Robinson`s semi-autobiographical novel, The Peculiar Memories Of Thomas Penman was published in 1998 and a collection of interviews, Smoking In Bed: Conversations With Bruce Robinson, edited by Alistair Owen, was published in 2000. Robinson currently lives in London with his wife, Sophie Windham, and their two children, Lily (b. 1987) and Willoughby (b. 1994). Since becoming a father, Robinson has also written two children`s books, The Obvious Elephant (2000) and Harold and The Duck (2005), both illustrated by his wife. The former is also available as an audiobook edition (2003), read by Lorelei King and Michael Maloney.