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David Cook (TV presenter)
Encyclopedia
David Cook is a British author
, screenwriter
and actor
. He is best known for the screen adaptation of his 1978 novel Walter, and was the first presenter of the UK TV programme Rainbow
.
He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
, London, from 1959 to 1961. His first role was in the 1962 film adaptation of A Kind of Loving
. Thereafter, he worked on both stage and television. He began to write novels and also for television in the early 1970s.
He presented the first and second series of Rainbow
, with the first episode airing in October 1972. He left the show to concentrate on his writing before the third series in 1973, and was replaced as presenter by Geoffrey Hayes.
Cook went on to write Walter, a novel about a young man with learning disabilities. It won the Hawthornden Prize
in 1978, and was later made into a film of the same name, starring Ian McKellen
and directed by Stephen Frears
. It was broadcast on Channel Four's opening night. Cook's follow up novel, Winter Doves, was also filmed with McKellen, and a 2009 radio play, Walter Now, saw Walter become a pensioner. It also focused on reproductive rights for people with learning disabilities.
Cook has continued to act, and provided several of the screenplays for the BBC-TV series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
, a series based on his 1986 novel Missing Persons.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is best known for the screen adaptation of his 1978 novel Walter, and was the first presenter of the UK TV programme Rainbow
Rainbow (TV series)
Rainbow is a British children's television series, created by Pamela Lonsdale, which ran twice weekly at 12:10 on Tuesdays and Fridays on the ITV network, from 16 October 1972 to 6 March 1992...
.
He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
, London, from 1959 to 1961. His first role was in the 1962 film adaptation of A Kind of Loving
A Kind of Loving (film)
A Kind of Loving is a 1962 British drama film directed by John Schlesinger, based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Stan Barstow. It stars Alan Bates and June Ritchie as two lovers in 1960s West Yorkshire. The photography was by Denys Coop, and the music by Ron Grainer...
. Thereafter, he worked on both stage and television. He began to write novels and also for television in the early 1970s.
He presented the first and second series of Rainbow
Rainbow (TV series)
Rainbow is a British children's television series, created by Pamela Lonsdale, which ran twice weekly at 12:10 on Tuesdays and Fridays on the ITV network, from 16 October 1972 to 6 March 1992...
, with the first episode airing in October 1972. He left the show to concentrate on his writing before the third series in 1973, and was replaced as presenter by Geoffrey Hayes.
Cook went on to write Walter, a novel about a young man with learning disabilities. It won the Hawthornden Prize
Hawthornden Prize
The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender. Authors are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature" which can be written in either poetry or prose...
in 1978, and was later made into a film of the same name, starring Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
and directed by Stephen Frears
Stephen Frears
Stephen Arthur Frears is an English film director.-Early life:Frears was born in Leicester, England to Ruth M., a social worker, and Dr Russell E. Frears, a general practitioner and accountant. He did not find out that his mother was Jewish until he was in his late 20s...
. It was broadcast on Channel Four's opening night. Cook's follow up novel, Winter Doves, was also filmed with McKellen, and a 2009 radio play, Walter Now, saw Walter become a pensioner. It also focused on reproductive rights for people with learning disabilities.
Cook has continued to act, and provided several of the screenplays for the BBC-TV series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates is a genteel British crime–comedy drama television series which aired from 1996 to 1998 on BBC One. The series starred Patricia Routledge as the title character , Derek Benfield as her patient husband Robert, Dominic Monaghan as their lodger Geoffrey Shawcross...
, a series based on his 1986 novel Missing Persons.
External links
- Brief biography and bibliography
- http://www.btinternet.com/~acbarrett/history.htm
- http://www.tv.com/david-cook-ii/person/198592/summary.html