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John Mortimer

Sir John Clifford Mortimer (21 April 1923 – 16 January 2009) was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author. Mortimer graduated with a law degree from Oxford in 1943.

 

He is best known for his short stories about a fictional barrister named Horace Rumpole.

 

Some commentators have said that the Horace Rumpole character is one of the best creations in all of British popular fiction.

 

John Mortimer’s character was central to the Thames Television series called “Rumpole of the Bailey”, which was released in December 1975. Australian-born Leo McKern played the character of Rumpole.

 

The reference to the “Bailey” is to the Old Bailey, which is the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales.

 

John Mortimer received a knighthood for his services to the arts in 1998.

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