John Mortimer(1923-2009)

Sir John Mortimer was a prolific writer for the theatre, films (starting during World War II, when he wrote scripts for the Crown Film Unit), television and radio. He was knighted in 1998. He also wrote fiction and was a trial attorney for more than 30 years. Arguably his most famous creation is Horace Rumpole, "barrister at law, 68 next birthday, Old Bailey hack, husband to Mrs Hilda Rumpole," the protagonist and narrator of dozens of stories. (The quotation comes from Rumpole and the Younger Generation.) On television, Leo McKern personified Rumpole for the better part of two decades.