Literature · 1856–1950
Born: 26 July 1856 · Died: 2 November 1950 · Age at death: 94
George Bernard Shaw died aged 94. He was born on 26 July 1856 and died on 2 November 1950.
Irish playwright of Pygmalion and Saint Joan, a socialist and wit who won both the Nobel Prize and an Oscar
Did you know?He is the only person to have won both a Nobel Prize in Literature and an Academy Award.
Shaw used comedy as a weapon to make audiences think about class, money and morality. His plays, such as Pygmalion, Major Barbara and Saint Joan, are packed with sharp arguments and witty dialogue. Pygmalion, about a flower seller taught to speak like a lady, later became the musical My Fair Lady. He was also a tireless campaigner, a socialist, a vegetarian and a critic of almost every institution of his time. He wrote dozens of plays and thousands of letters, and remained mischievously provocative well into his nineties.
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950) was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond.
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Profile
Irish playwright, born 1856
George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin on 26 July 1856.
He wrote Pygmalion and Saint Joan.
He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925.
He won an Oscar for the Pygmalion screenplay.
Career highlights
Did you know?He is the only person to win both a Nobel Prize and an Oscar.
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