Noted English author of novels and short stories dabbled in ambitious British TV plays and features before making his Hollywood screenwriting debut with "The Good Son" (1993), a decidedly popular thriller starring Macaulay Culkin. McEwan began writing at age 22 and had "First Love, Last Rites", an award-winning collection of short stories, published by age 26. His first TV play, "Solid Geometry", was banned by the BBC for its sexual content but his next, "The Competition Game" (1980), garnered acclaim. Helmed by respected stage director Richard Eyre, this feminist-themed WWII drama received a theatrical release after the success of McEwan's screenwriting debut, "The Ploughman's Lunch" (1983), a sharp dissection of English manners and politics set during the Falklands War. McEwan's third play for British TV was entitled "Jack Flea's Birthday". His novel "The Comfort of Strangers" was adapted by Harold Pinter for the creepy Paul Schrader-directed feature (1990). McEwan transformed his novel "The Innocent" into a screenplay for a John Schlesinger-directed feature starring Anthony Hopkins and Isabella Rossellini. "The Cement Garden", another McEwan novel, has also been adapted for the screen.