Barnes, Peter

1931 - Born in Bow, London on January 10, 1931.

1951 - Attended Marling School in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

1968 - Achieved fame with his baroque comedy, The Ruling Class, which debuted at the Nottingham Playhouse.

1969 - Portrayed Da Vinci being prematurely declared dead in the play, "Leonardo's Last Supper".

1978 - The play "Laughter!" was his controversial work, from the reign of Ivan the Terrible to a satire based on the tedious bureaucracy required to sustain Auschwitz.

1978 - His greatest play "Red Noses", depicted the life of a sprightly priest. This play was responsible for giving him the Olivier award.

1992 - His screenplay for "Enchanted April" earned him a nomination in Oscar.

2000 - His wife Christie gave birth to his first child, daughter Leela, when he was 69 years old.

2004 - He died on July 1, 2004 of a stroke.