Obituary: David Seidler, scriptwriter

The best writers write what they know, and Oscar-winning script writer David Seidler’s career triumph was a perfect example. London-born Seidler grew up with a stammer and he drew upon his personal experiences when bringing a personal passion project, The King’s Speech, to the big screen. The true story of how King George VI overcame his speech impediment with the help of speech and language therapist Lionel Logue was a project which Seidler started work on in the 1970s, but had to sit on as the king’s widow, the Queen Mother, had asked him not to pursue it during her lifetime. She died in 2002 and Seidler returned to the script while surviving a cancer diagnosis. The film finally made it to the screen in 2010, winning the Oscar and Bafta for best picture and Seidler the respective awards for best screenplay. Seidler dedicated his 2011 Oscar to "all the stutterers around the world."

Seidler, who also worked on films such as Tucker: The Man and His Dream and animated features Quest For Camelot and The King And I , died on March 16 aged 86. — Agencies