Lee Hall

Lee Hall (born 1966 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is an English playwright and screenwriter. Hall's most commercially successful work is Billy Elliot, the story of a young boy in the north of England who, in the face of opposition from his family and community, aspires to be and ultimately becomes a ballet dancer. The inspiration for the screenplay was drawn, in part, from A.J. Cronin's novel, The Stars Look Down, which is also set in an English coal m... more

Lee Hall (born 1966 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is an English playwright and screenwriter. Hall's most commercially successful work is Billy Elliot, the story of a young boy in the north of England who, in the face of opposition from his family and community, aspires to be and ultimately becomes a ballet dancer. The inspiration for the screenplay was drawn, in part, from A.J. Cronin's novel, The Stars Look Down, which is also set in an English coal mining community during a strike, and similarly tells the story of a miner's son who goes against the grain while the model for Billy was partly inspired by the renowned baritone, Sir Thomas Allen who came from a similar background, having been born in the north-east county of Durham. Initially a 1999 film directed by Stephen Daldry, for which Hall wrote the screenplay, and for which he received an Academy Award nomination, Billy Elliot was later turned into a stage musical. With music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Hall, the musical is... less