Anthony Joshua Shaffer was an English playwright, screenwriter, novelist, barrister, and advertising executive. Shaffer was born to a Jewish family in Liverpool, the son of Reka and Jack Shaffer, who was an estate agent with his wife's family. He was the identical twin brother of writer and dramatist Peter Shaffer. He graduated with a law degree from Trinity College, Cambridge. Shaffer's most notable work was the play Sleuth , which he adapted for the film version which starred Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, and was Oscar nominated. He received Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of... America for both versions: for Best Play in 1971, and Best Screenplay in 1973. His other major screenplays include the Hitchcock thriller Frenzy and the British cult thriller The Wicker Man with whose director, Robin Hardy, Shaffer had previously set up a television production company Hardy, Shaffer & Associates. Shaffer was married three times and had two children. His third wife was the Australian actress Diane Cilento, whom he met in 1973 when she appeared in The Wicker Man. She had previously been married to Sean Connery.
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