Peter Shaffer, 'Amadeus' and 'Equus' playwright and Oscar winner, dies at 90



Peter Shaffer, the Academy Award-winning British playwright whose stage dramas "Amadeus" and "Equus" were turned into acclaimed movies, has died. He was 90.

Shaffer died early Monday at the Marymount hospice in County Cork, Ireland, according to a statement from his agents at Macnaughton Lord Representation in London. He was traveling in Ireland with friends and family to celebrate his birthday last month.

Shaffer experienced a short illness, the agency said, but it didn't provide a cause of death.

Shaffer achieved his greatest popular success with "Amadeus," his account of the rivalry between composers Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

"Amadeus" premiered in London, where it opened in 1979 at the National Theatre. It transferred to Broadway in 1980, where it won the Tony Award for best play and ran for three years.

The play was turned into a movie by director Milos Forman in 1984. It won eight Oscars, including one for Shaffer for adapted screenplay and one for best picture.


Shaffer also received an Oscar nomination in 1977 for his adaptation of "Equus," which tells the story of a disturbed stable boy who has an extreme obsession with horses.

The playwright's twin brother, Anthony Shaffer, was also an acclaimed writer who penned the drama "Sleuth." Anthony Shaffer died in 2001.

[email protected]

Peter Shaffer, 'Amadeus' and 'Equus' playwright and Oscar winner, dies at 90 - LA Times