Lived in Aden and Egypt as a child

Forced to leave Alexandria, Egypt when the Suez Canal crisis occurred

Family moved to Hong Kong and Zanzibar

Sent to boarding school in England

First stage play produced, "When Did You Last See My Mother?" at Royal Court Theatre in London

Moved to Hamburg, Germany and worked as a dramturg at Schauspielhaus

First American production, "When Did You Last See My Mother?" off-off-Broadway

Resident dramatist at Royal Court Theatre in London

Penned "Total Eclipse," about the relationship between Rimbaud and Verlaine

Broadway debut as playwright, "The Philanthropist"

First film as screenwriter, "A Doll's House," based on Ibsen play

Wrote the play "Treats"

Penned "Tales From Hollywood," about the German expatriate community in Southern California in the late 1930s, early 1940s

Adapted the Graham Greene novel "The Honorary Consul" to the screen as "Beyond the Limit"

Breakthrough stage work, "Les Liaisons Dangereuse," based on the epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos

Wrote screenplay version of "Dangerous Liaisons" adapted from his play; won Oscar

Last play (to date) the autobiographical "White Chameleon"

Wrote British TV adaptation of "Tales From Hollywood" starring Jeremy Irons and Alec Guinness

Collaborated with Don Black on the book and lyrics for the stage musical, "Sunset Boulevard" (moved to Broadway in 1995)

Feature directorial debut, "Carrington"; also wrote script

Adapted play as feature "Total Eclipse"

Translated Yasmina Reza's three-character play "Art"

Wrote screenplay adaptation of "Mary Reilly"

Wrote the screenplay for "The Secret Agent"

Translated Yasmina Reza's play "Life x 3" into English; performed at the Royal National Theatre

Collaborated with composer Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Don Black on a musical version of "Dracula"

Penned the screenplay for "The Quiet American"

Wrote and directed "Imagining Argentina" set during the Dirty War in the 1970s Buenos Aires

Adapted the novel, "Atonement" for the big screen, which starred James McAvoy and Keira Knightley; earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay