Nigel Kneale (18 April 1922 - 29 October 2006) was a Manx writer, who worked mostly in the United Kingdom. Active in television, film, radio drama and prose fiction, he wrote professionally for over fifty years, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and was twice nominated for the British Film Award for Best Screenplay.
Predominantly a writer of thrillers which used science-fiction and horror elements, he was best known for the creation of the character Professor Bernard Quatermass. Quatermass was a heroic scientist who appeared in various television, film and radio productions written by Kneale for the BBC, Hammer Film Productions and Thames Television between 1953 and 1996. Kneale wrote original scripts and successfully adapted works by writers such as George Orwell, John Osborne, H. G. Wells and Susan Hill.
He was most active in television, joining BBC Television in 1951 as one of its first staff writers; his final script was transmitted on ITV in 1997. Kneale wrote well-received television dramas such as The Year of the Sex Olympics (1968) and The Stone Tape (1972) in addition to the Quatermass serials. He has been described as "one of the most influential writers of the 20th century," and as "having invented popular TV."
Nigel and Judith have a daughter and a son
Wrote the original script for Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), but had his name removed from the film after the script was heavily changed by director Tommy Lee Wallace.
Son is Matthew Kneale, author of Whitbread Prize-winning novel "English Passengers".
Daughter is Tacy Kneale, art director and former actress.
Judith Kerr is the best-selling author of the "Mog" series of children's books.
He was approached to write for the proposed BBC science fiction series "Doctor Who" (1963) but deplored the concept of the series and refused.
An Associate Member of RADA.
Graduated from RADA.
Refused an offer to write for "Doomwatch" (1970).
Father of novelist Matthew Kneale.
