Kevin Laffan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kevin Barry Laffan 24 May 1922 Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England |
| Died | 11 March 2003 (aged 80) London, England |
| Occupation | Screenwriter, playwright |
| Notable works | Emmerdale |
| Spouse |
Jeanne Thompson (m. 1952) |
| Children | 3 |
Kevin Barry Laffan (24 May 1922 – 11 March 2003) was a British playwright, screenwriter, author, actor and stage director. Laffan is best known for creating in 1972 the ITV soap opera Emmerdale Farm, titled since 1989 Emmerdale.
Raised in a family of fourteen children, Laffan's Catholic upbringing formed the inspiration for many of his plays. Laffan's theatrical career began with a position as a call boy at the Theatre Royal in Bilston, and would eventually lead to him founding a repertory company in Reading. In later life, Laffan also branched out into fiction, publishing his début novel, Virgins are in Short Supply, in 2001.