Trivia

Awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 2005.

He allegedly declined a British knighthood in 1996.

In the early 1960s, he had an extra-marital affair with broadcaster Joan Bakewell. Later, Pinter went on to write what became the movie Trahisons conjugales (1983), which told the story of their affair.

He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1996 (1995 season) for the Special Award for his lifetime achievement to the theatre.

Has a father-son relationship with producer Sam Spiegel, according to Spiegel biographer Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni. Spiegel was quite taken with Pinter's genius, so much so it hurt the film adaptation of Le Dernier Nabab (1976), wrote "Tycoon" director Elia Kazan in his own autobiography, as Spiegel treated the screenplay as sacrosanct and wouldn't let Kazan change it to create more dramatic tension. Ironically, when Spiegel had first seen a screenplay written by Pinter in the 1960s (The Servant (1963), he had been appalled by its lack of professionalism.

He wrote screenplays based on Marcel Proust's "Remembrance Of Things Past" (for Joseph Losey) and Joseph Conrad's "Victory" (for Richard Lester) which were never filmed, but were published. On the other hand, he refused to publish the screenplay of La servante écarlate (1990) because it was so severely compromised during the filming and he disowned the final film.

Pinter's interest in politics was very public. For years, he spoke openly and strongly about the abuse of state power in international politics, including the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia. Harold Pinter was elected a member of SANU (Serbian Academy of Science and Arts est. 1841.) on November 2, 2006 at the SANU Electoral Assembly.

In his later years, Pinter gained a great deal of publicity for his political engagement and fierce criticism of the war on terror, that is, the policy of George W. Bush, whom he compared to Adolf Hitler.

Supported a motion to impeach British Prime Minister Tony Blair after the Iraq war.

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1966 and a Companion of Honour in the 2002 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Literature and Drama.

Celebrated by the Manitoba Theatre Centre in a festival named Pinter Fest (January 2003). Several of his works were performed, such as "Night School" and "The Hot House".

Won Broadway's 1967 Tony Award as author of Best Play winner "The Homecoming." He has also received three other Tony nominations: twice as author of a Best Play nominee, in 1962 for "The Caretaker" and in 1972 for "Old Times," and once as Best Director (Dramatic), in 1969 for "The Man in the Glass Booth."

Underwent radiation treatment for cancer of the esophagus in 2002.

Father was a tailor.

Joined the Donald Wolfit Shakespearean company in 1953.

Brother-in-law of Rachel Billington and Tom Pakenham.

His play, "The Caretaker," was nominated for a 1976 Joseph Jefferson Award for Play Production at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, Illinois.

Was a first cousin, twice removed, of actor Dean Collins. Harold's paternal grandparents, Fanny and Nathan Pinter, were also the paternal great-great-grandparents of Dean Collins (Harold's father, Hyman "Jack" Pinter, was the brother of Dean's great-grandmother, Dora Pinter).

His friendship with Samuel Beckett (and their surprising shared love of cricket) is the subject of the 2022 play "Stumped" by Shomit Dutta.

Appearing in Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court, London. (October 2006)