Sir John Mortimer (OD 1937), was born in Hampstead, London, he joined the Dragon in 1932 and went on to be educated at Harrow and at Brasenose College, Oxford. He began writing before he was called to the bar in 1948.
Sir John was an English barrister and writer who wrote plays for the stage, television, radio, and motion pictures, as well as novels and autobiographical works. He began his writing career as a novelist, with ‘Charade’ (1947). Many of his short stories and novels drew on his legal experience, and the television production of his play ‘The Dock Brief ‘established his reputation. He wrote many other plays, including ‘The Wrong Side of the Park’ (performed 1960) and ‘The Judge’ (performed 1967).
Throughout his writing career, Sir John continued his law practice and became known as one of Great Britain’s principal defenders in free-speech and civil-rights cases. As a writer, he had popular success in the late 1970s and ’80s with the television series ‘Rumpole of the Bailey’. His novels include ‘Paradise Postponed’ (1985) and ‘Dunster’ (1992). ‘Clinging to the Wreckage’ (1982) is an autobiography. Sir John was knighted in 1998.
Source: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, January 20, 2021
Photo Credit: (c) National Portrait Gallery, London
