George Bernard Shaw Autograph

Profession:
(1856-1950) Irish playwright - he is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize in Literature (1925) and an Oscar (1938)

Year of Birth: 1856

George Bernard Shaw was born on July 26, 1856, in Dublin, Ireland. He was the youngest of three children and grew up in a lower-middle-class family. His father was a grain merchant and his mother was a music teacher.

Shaw moved to London in 1876 to pursue a career in writing. He started out as a music and theater critic before transitioning to playwriting. Some of his most famous works include "Pygmalion," "Saint Joan," and "Man and Superman."

Shaw was a strong advocate for social and political change. He was a member of the Fabian Society, a socialist organization, and believed in the redistribution of wealth and the elimination of class distinctions.

Shaw won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925 for his contribution to English literature. He was known for his wit, humor, and clever dialogue in his plays.

Throughout his life, Shaw was a prolific writer, penning over 60 plays, numerous essays, and several novels. He was a critic of traditional Victorian values and a champion of women's rights and equality.

Shaw passed away on November 2, 1950, at the age of 94. He is remembered as one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century and a key figure in Irish and British literature.