Biography

David Seidler was born on July 13, 1937 in London, England, UK. He was a writer and producer, known for The King's Speech (2010), Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988) and Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988). He was married to Mary Ann Tharaldsen, Huia Newton and Jacqueline Feather. He died on March 16, 2024 in New Zealand.

In 2011 at age of 74, he was the oldest winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The King's Speech (2010). He held this record for one year, until Woody Allen won for Midnight in Paris at the age of 76 in 2012.

When writing the script for The King's Speech (2010), Seidler discovered that his own uncle, also named David and also a stutterer, had been sent to see Lionel Logue by his father (Seidler's grandfather).

Seidler believed that his stutter might have been a response to the emotional trauma of the war. Thinking it would make others feel uncomfortable, as a teenager he often chose to keep quiet.

Seidler is most known for writing the scripts for the stage version and screen version for the story The King's Speech (2010). For the film, he won the Academy Award and a BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay.

He was a British-American playwright and film and television writer.

[on Harvey Weinstein's considering excising the profanities from 'The King's Speech'] Harvey is a master of awards. He's a master of marketing. I do not believe this is one of his better ideas. It's not there for shock value or puerile interest. It is purely for therapeutic use. It's based on my own experience as a stutterer.