British playwright born in
Leicester in 1933. His bizarre and tragic story is told in the film
Prick up Your Ears, by
Stephen Frears. Joe met
Kenneth Halliwell, another actor, at
RADA: they became lovers, set up home together in
Islington, and started collaborating on plays. Joe's work, full of sharp witty dialogue, became popular, and Joe himself, who seems to have been incredibly sexually active (see
Joe Orton's Diaries by
John Lahr, an entertaining read), received a lot of acclaim and attention. Halliwell, not as attractive or outgoing, became increasingly jealous, and eventually smashed Orton's head in with a hammer and killed himself in 1967.
Plays include:
Entertaining Mr SloaneLootThe Erpingham CampThe Ruffian on the StairWhat the Butler Saw