William Shakespeare

Widely considered the greatest playwright and poet in history, Englishman William Shakespeare wrote more than 35 plays and 150 sonnets during his lifetime. Born in the mid-1500s, Shakespeare became renowned for his historical and comedic plays, later penning tragedies and romances, some of which are his most celebrated works.

Known as the "Bard of Avon," Shakespeare also sometimes appeared in his own plays. He died in 1616 while still in his early 50s, leaving behind a literary legacy that has only grown in following centuries.

Key works in the theater canon, Shakespeare's plays have been performed the world over, regularly put on by troupes ranging from amateur ensembles to major theater companies. The Bard's works have also been filmed ad infinitum.

Among some of the finest cinematic productions of Shakespeare's plays are Laurence Olivier's 1948 version of the tragedy "Hamlet" and Orson Welles' adaptation of the similarly moody "Macbeth," also released the same year. While many films have set the stories in the era of Shakespeare's life, others have reinterpreted his work in less traditional contexts, including Akira Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" and "Ran," reworkings of "Macbeth" and "King Lear," respectively, that are set in feudal Japan.

Other takes have transported Shakespearean tales to modern times, including Baz Luhrmann's heavily stylized "Romeo + Juliet" and Ralph Fiennes' "Coriolanus," which features the backdrop of a 21st-century military conflict. Shakespeare himself has also been depicted on screen various times, most notably by Joseph Fiennes in the Oscar-winning romance "Shakespeare in Love."