An incisive playwright/screenwriter whose uncanny ability to capture the dramatic avatars of history's most notable leaders has earned him both critical acclaim and numerous awards, Peter Morgan credits his keen observational skills directly to his outsider status as a German-speaking adolescent growing up in South London. Born in April 1963 to a German Jewish father who had fled from Nazi Germany and a Polish Catholic mother who had escaped the Soviets, Morgan had a particularly difficult time connecting with his peers in the south of London due in large part to the language barrier, which made communication with classmates nearly impossible. Though standing apart from the pack can at times be a deeply troubling experience for a youngster, it provided the imaginative Morgan with a unique perspective not afforded to the vast majority of his peers. Morgan's father died of a heart attack when the future writer was just nine years old; however, the many thoughtful conversations shared between the pair about politics and world events before tragedy struck had lain the groundwork for Morgan's entire career.

Later, when Morgan found the English department at Leeds University a bit too stiflingly old-fashioned for his tastes, he switched to a fine arts degree in an attempt to try his hand at acting. A fateful panic attack during a production of Love's Labor Lost prompted Morgan to eschew the stage in favor of writing and directing, and a subsequent collaboration with fellow scribe…  » Read more