William Shakespeare

English playwright, poet, and actor of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and a pre-eminent dramatist. Author of tragedies, comedies, and histories including Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream; associated with the Lord Chamberlain's Men/King's Men theatre company.