Frederick Knott (1916–2002) was born in China, earned a law degree from University of Cambridge, and was a major in the British Army. He only wrote three plays, yet his spine-tingling thrillers ran successfully on Broadway and have been standards in regional and touring theatre worldwide. His most famous, Dial M for Murder, was rejected several times before playing on British television in the early ’50s. It then hit London to rave reviews. In 1952 the play opened on Broadway, and in 1954 was adapted into a film, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Grace Kelly and Ray Milland. Wait Until Dark ran for 374 performances on Broadway in 1966 and earned actress Lee Remick a Tony Award nomination. In 1967 it was made into a popular film starring Alan Arkin and Audrey Hepburn, and it was revived on Broadway in 1998 starring Marisa Tomei and Quentin Tarantino. Write Me a Murder opened on Broadway in 1961 and ran for 25 weeks.