The Height of the Storm

Christopher Hampton was born in the Azores in 1946. He wrote his first play, When Did You Last See My Mother?, at the age of eighteen. Since then, his plays have included The Philanthropist, Savages, Tales from Hollywood, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, White Chameleon, The Talking Cure, Appomattox and A German Life. Appomattox was turned into an opera by Philip Glass in 2014. He has translated plays by Ibsen, Molire, von Horvth, Chekhov and Yasmina Reza (including Art and Life x 3). He has translated seven plays by Florian Zeller, including The Father and The Son, both of which he subsequently co-wrote for the screen with Florian Zeller, winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Father in 2021. Musicals include Rebecca, Stephen Ward, Sunset Boulevard and The Third Man. His television work includes adaptations of The History Man, Htel du Lac and The Singapore Grip. His screenplays include The Honorary Consul, The Good Father, Dangerous Liaisons, Mary Reilly, Total Eclipse, The Quiet American, Atonement, Cheri, A Dangerous Method, Ali & Nino, Carrington, The Secret Agent and Imagining Argentina, the last three of which he also directed. Florian Zeller is a French novelist and playwright. He won the prestigious Prix Interalli in 2004 for his third novel, Fascination of Evil. His plays include L'Autre, Le Mange, Si tu mourais, nominated for a Globe de Cristal, Elle t'attend and La Vrit. La Mre (The Mother, Molire Award for Best Play in 2011) and Le Pre (The Father, Molire Award for Best Play in 2014, starring Robert Hirsch and Isabelle Gelinas (Molire Awards for Best Actor and Actress, Prix du Brigadier in 2015). Une Heure de tranquillit (A Bit of Peace and Quiet), opened with Fabrice Luchini, and has since been adapted for the screen, directed by Patrice Leconte. Le Mensonge (The Lie) was staged in 2015 starring Pierre Arditi and Evelyne Bouix and L'Envers du dcor opened in January 2016 at the Thtre de Paris starring Daniel Auteuil.