William Shakespeare

Shakespeare trained at the local grammar school in Stratford-upon-Avon, before beginning a career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a theatre company later known as the King's Men. He started writing plays around 1585, initially producing comedies and histories, but later shifted to writing mainly tragedies, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. His plays were highly acclaimed, with many translated into every major living language, and performed more frequently than those of any other playwright. After retiring from acting around 1613, Shakespeare returned to Stratford, where he died three years later.