Fun Facts About George Bernard Shaw
- George Bernard Shaw was the first person to win both a Nobel Prize and an Oscar, for the screenplay of Pygmalion, but he described the Oscar as an insult, coming from Hollywood.[1]
- King Edward VII laughed so much at Shaw's comedy John Bull's Other Island that he broke his chair.[1]
- Shaw's famous beard had a practical origin: after an attack of smallpox in 1881, he grew it to hide the facial scar.[1]
- Shaw's first job was as a junior clerk for Dublin land agents, where he rose to head cashier; he later dropped "George" and called himself "Bernard Shaw".[1]
- A vegetarian from 1881, Shaw developed pernicious anemia and was treated with injections of concentrated animal liver, which distressed him and drew condemnation from militant vegetarians.[1]
- Shaw disliked musical adaptations of his work, yet Pygmalion became the 1956 musical My Fair Lady.[1]
- George Bernard Shaw was alive at the same time as Benjamin Netanyahu — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1949–1950).[1][2][3][4]
- George Bernard Shaw shares a birthday with Stanley Kubrick: both were born on July 26.[1][2][5][6]
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and was awarded the 1925 Nobel Prize in Literature.[1]
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Questions About George Bernard Shaw
When was George Bernard Shaw born?
George Bernard Shaw was born on July 26, 1856, and died on November 2, 1950.
How old was George Bernard Shaw at death?
George Bernard Shaw was born on July 26, 1856, and died on November 2, 1950, at age 94.
What was George Bernard Shaw known for?
George Bernard Shaw was known for: Irish playwright of Pygmalion. George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and was awarded the 1925 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Who was alive at the same time as George Bernard Shaw?
George Bernard Shaw's closest contemporary was Max Planck. Their lives overlapped for 89 years.
Sources
- George Bernard Shaw — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- George Bernard Shaw (Q19185) — Wikidata
- Benjamin Netanyahu — Wikipedia
- Benjamin Netanyahu (Q43723) — Wikidata
- Stanley Kubrick — Wikipedia
- Stanley Kubrick (Q2001) — Wikidata
- Portrait: George Bernard Shaw.jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain