Peter Barnes (playwright) - Later Life

Later Life

In his later years Barnes turned his attention more in the direction of films, radio, and television. His screenplay for Elizabeth von Arnim's Enchanted April earned him a nomination for the best adapted screenplay Oscar in 1992. He lost out to Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's treatment of Howards End, although many believe that it was an unfair win. He also wrote several mini-series for U.S. television, including mArabian Nights Merlin and Noah's Ark. For BBC Radio 3 he wrote a series of monologues entitled Barnes's People, for which he attracted a large number of well known actors: Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Alec Guinness, Peggy Ashcroft, Judi Dench, and Ian McKellen.

Barnes did carry on writing his historical comedies throughout the 1990s. These include Sunsets and Glories (1990), Dreaming (1999), and Jubilee (2001).

Barnes's second wife, Christie, gave birth to his first daughter Leela in 2000 when he was 69. Barnes, who never received much American mainstream media attention for his plays, quickly became a tabloid obsession in 2002 when his wife gave birth again, this time to triplets Abigail, Nathaniel and Zachary, who are now all actors and are following their father's path in Hollywood as well as their sister Leela. The last play that Barnes completed was Babies, which is based on his experiences as an elderly father. It is currently being adapted for British TV.