* Born: 23 April 1564 Stratford-upon-Avon
* Parents: John Shakespeare and Mary Arden
* 7th of 8 Children
Marriage and Family
* Married: 28 November 1582. Age 18
* Wife: Anne Hathaway. Age 26
* Three children: Susanna (1585); twins Judith and Hamnet (1588)
Career Highlights
* Began acting career in London about 1584
* Began writing plays in the 1590s
* Member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men acting troupe (later the King’s Men)
* Built the Globe Theatre in 1599
* Wrote 37 plays
Death
Died 23 April 1616, Stratford-upon-Avon
Legacy
Considered one of the world's greatest dramatists
* Plays have been translated into every major living language
* Performed more often than those of any other playwright