Joe Orton
Joe Orton Orton in 1964 Born John Kingsley Orton (1933-01-01)1 January 1933 Leicester, England Died 9 August 1967(1967-08-09) (aged 34) Islington, London, England Partner Kenneth Halliwell (1951–1967) John Kingsley "Joe" Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967) was an English playwright and author. His public career was short but prolific, lasting from 1964 until his death three years later. During this brief period he shocked, outraged, and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies. The adjective Ortonesque is sometimes used to refer to work characterised by a similarly dark yet farcical cynicism.