R. C. Sherriff

R. C. Sherriff was born in 1896 and educated at Kingston Grammar School and New College, Oxford. He entered his father's insurance business, but shortly after, on the outbreak of the First World War, he joined the army, and served as a captain in the East Surrey Regiment. He rejoined the business in 1918 and spent ten years as a claims adjuster. It was an interest in amateur theatricals, which led him to try his hand at writing. After rejection by many theatre managements, Journey's End was given a single Sunday evening performance by the Incorporated Stage Society in December 1928. Laurence Olivier played Stanhope on that occasion. In 1929, Shaw was instrumental in having Journey's End produced at the Savoy Theatre. The play's enormous success, in both Europe and America, enabled Sheriff to become a full-time writer.

Among his other plays are Badger's Green, (1930); Windfall (1933); St Helena (1935), a play about Napoleon, written in collaboration with Jeanne de Casalis; Miss Mabel (1948); Home at Seven (1950); The White Carnation (1953); and The Long Sunset (1955), a vivid picture of the last day of Roman civilisation in Britain. He wrote screen plays for many films including The Invisible Man (1933), Goodbye Mr Chips (1933), The Four Feathers (1937) Lady Hamilton (1941), Odd Man Out (1945), Quartet (1948), No Highway (1950) and The Dam Busters (1955). He also published an autobiography, No Leading Lady (1968).

R. C. Sherriff died in November 1975.