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Rosenthal, Jack Morris, 1931 - 2004

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Biography

Jack Morris Rosenthal, CBE, was born 8 September 1931 in Manchester to a Jewish family. Both his parents, Sam and Leah, were employed in a raincoat factory. After attending Colne Grammar School he read English Language and Literature at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 1953.

Following National Service in the Royal Navy, where he learned to translate Russian, he worked for a time in the promotion department of Granada Television, one of the recently formed ITV companies, before leaving to work in advertising. He renewed the connection with Granada in 1961 when he was commissioned to write episode no. 30 for the popular soap opera Coronation Street, then at the start of what was to become the long-running and highly successful series. Up to 1969 Rosenthal contributed 129 episodes to the series, and he went on to produce the series for a time.

His growing success as a writer for television, the medium for which he is best known, and a widening interest in both comedy and the experience of

Jack Rosenthal

English playwright

This article is about an English playwright. For the American journalist, see Jack Rosenthal (journalist). For the formerly missing child, see Paul Fronczak triple disappearance.

Jack Rosenthal


CBE

Born(1931-09-08)8 September 1931
Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England
Died29 May 2004(2004-05-29) (aged 72)
Barnet, London, England
OccupationScreenwriter, playwright
EducationUniversity of Sheffield
Notable awardsCBE, BAFTA
Spouse

Catherine Ward

(m. 1964; div. 1966)​
Children2, including Amy

Jack Morris RosenthalCBE (8 September 1931 – 29 May 2004) was an English playwright. He wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and over 150 screenplays, including original television plays, feature films, and adaptations.

Early life

Jack Morris Rosenthal was born into a Jewish family on 8 September 1931, in Cheetham, Manchester.[1] He was the younger of two sons to father Sam, a raincoat factory worker

As one of the astute young writers who learnt their craft in the golden days of the British television writer (the 1960s), Jack Rosenthal was an inventive and prolific dramatist who often drew on his own northern, working-class Jewish roots to lend an air of authenticity to his drama.

The younger of two brothers born into a Jewish family, he was evacuated with his brother to endure a miserable stay in Blackpool early in the Second World War. After his family moved to Colne, Lancashire, he attended the local grammar school before reading English Literature at Sheffield University.

Following National Service in the Royal Navy, in 1955 he joined the fledgling ITV company Granada Television, where after a spell in the promotions department he left to work in advertising.

When, after watching some episodes of Granada's new twice-weekly drama series Coronation Street in 1960, he asked the series' creator and head writer Tony Warren if he could try his hand at writing an episode. It signalled the beginning of an exciting career in television. The episode (tx. 27/3/1961)

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