Shakespeare

Name: William Shakespeare
D.O.B: 26th April 1564 (baptised)
Death: 23rd April 1616

Shakespeare's grave.
Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,
To digg the dvst encloased heare.
Bleste be ye man yt spares thes stones,
And cvrst be he yt moves my bones.

(Modern spelling: Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear, | To dig the dust enclosed here. | Blessed be the man that spares these stones, | And cursed be he that moves my bones.)

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His Life:
Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway. Their three children were named Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith.

His Career:
Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He retired and lived Stratford around 1613 at age 49, where he died three years later.

His Plays:
Shakespeare produced most of his work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of cleverness and skill by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote mostly about tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many people thought Shakespeare was the greatest playwright who has ever lived.

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John Shakespeare's (William Shakespeare’s father) house, believed to be Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare
Millenium Family Encyclopedia, Dorling Kindersley (London).