An English writer, born on October 21, 1936, in England, UK, as Simon James Holliday Gray. He obtained a BA from Dalhousie University in 1957 and, in 1961, another BA from Trinity College, Cambridge. He worked for 25 years as a lecturer in English at Queen Mary College, London. He launched his writing career when he was 20 years old and published several novels. He started his drama work when he adapted one of his own short stories for TV production. He wrote several plays that were later adapted for television. His first stage play was Wise Child. He is known for The Wednesday Play (1967-1968), Screen Two (1987-1993), and A Month in the Country (1987). In the 2005 Queen's New Year's Honours List, he received the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for his contributions to writing. He received several awards and nominations, such as Broadway's Tony Award as author of a Best Play, BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama, and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best British Original Teleplay. He was married to Beryl Mary Kevern, with whom he had two children before marrying Victoria Rothschild. He died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm on August 6, 2008, in England, UK.