Harold Pinter dead at 78

Harold Pinter, one of the most influential playwrights of the 20th century, has died at the age of 78. Pinter, according to his wife Lady Antonia Fraser, , died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. Not many writers live to see their names turned into an adjective, but the word ‘‘Pinteresque’’ was coined quite early to describe the menacing nature behind everyday situations and discourse. That element of Mr. Pinter’s style was consistent from his earliest plays to his last. In between were such modern classics as ‘‘The Birthday Party,’’ ‘‘The Caretaker,’’ ‘‘The Homecoming,’’ and ‘‘Betrayal.’’ – from Boston

Although Pinter is best known as a playwright, he was trained as an actor and performed in plays, movies and teleplays throughout his career. Along with some 30 plays, he wrote more than 20 screenplays, including a number of his own works, such as “The Caretaker” (1963) and “Betrayal”(1983). He wrote other screenplays based on popular novels, among them “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” (1981), from the novel by John Fowles, and “The Last Tycoon” (1976), based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished novel. – from LAtimes