| David Wood OBE | |
| Birth Name: | David Bernard |
| Birth Date: | 1944 2, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Sutton, Surrey, England |
| Language: | English |
| Education: | Chichester High School for Boys |
| Alma Mater: | Worcester College, Oxford |
| Genre: | Children's literature |
| Notableworks: | The Gingerbread Man (1976) |
| Spouse: | Sheila Ruskin (1966–1970) (divorced)[1] Jacqueline Stanbury (m.1975) |
| Children: | 2 |
| Awards: | Order of the British Empire |
David Bernard Wood OBE (born 21 February 1944) is an English actor, author, composer, director, magician and producer. The Times called him "the National Children's Dramatist".[2] In 1979, he joined Bernard Cribbins, Maurice Denham, and Jan Francis in a reading of The Hobbit for the BBC Television show Jackanory.[3]
Wood was born on 21 February 1944 in Sutton, Surrey. He was educated at Chichester High School for Boys and Worcester College, Oxford.
Along with John Gould, he founded the Whirligig Theatre, a touring children's theatre company.[4]
His most famous story, The Gingerbread Man (1976), has been all across the world since its premiere at the Towngate Theatre in Basildon. Wood, FilmFair, and Central adapted the musical into an animated children's television series. The adaptation, also called The Gingerbread Man, aired on ITV in 1992.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List, for his services to literature and drama.
From 1966-70, he was married to actress Sheila Ruskin.
Among his film roles are Johnny in Lindsay Anderson's If... (1968) and Thompson in Aces High (1976). He appeared as the character Bingo Little in the original London cast of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn musical Jeeves in 1975.
He wrote the screenplay for the 1974 adaptation of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons, released by Anglo EMI.
Original works:
Adaptations of Roald Dahl's books for children:
Other adaptations of English authors of children's literature:
Adaptations of adult literature:
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | if.... | Johnny: Crusaders | ||
| 1973 | Tales That Witness Madness | Tutor - Phillipe | (segment 1 "Mr. Tiger") | |
| 1976 | Aces High | Thompson | ||
| 1980 | North Sea Hijack | Herring | ||
| 1980 | Sweet William | Vicar |