1998
Director: John Madden
Writer: Marc Norman - Tom Stoppard
Producer: Mark Cooper - Donna Gigliotti - Julie Goldstein - Marc Norman - David Parfitt - Bob Weinstein - Harvey Weinstein - Edward Zwick
Music: Stephen Warbeck
Art Directior: Steven Lawrence
Costume Design: Humberto Cornejo - Sandy Powell
Makeup: Veronica Brebner
Will Shakespeare's life is going badly. His love life is a shambles, he's always short of money, and worst of all, he has writer's block. He's supposed to be nearly finished his newest play, "Romeo and Ethel the Sea Pirate's Daughter", but in fact he hasn't written a line. At a sham audition for the play, he admires a new actor, Thomas Kent, who suddenly runs away. Soon Shakespeare meets Viola de Lesseps, who lives in the same stately home as Thomas; it's love at first sight and he's inspired to begin writing the play. But by the time he realizes that Thomas is Viola in disguise, she's promised in marriage to a lord which means that Queen Elizabeth herself expects the marriage to happen. But Will and Viola find their attraction too strong to resist; they risk the wrath of her fiance with a clandestine affair, and of the law against women on stage by having "Thomas" play Romeo. No wonder he ends up changing the play into a tragedy...
Cast List:
| Joseph Fiennes | ... | William Shakespeare |
| Gwyneth Paltrow | .... | Viola De Lesseps |
| Geoffrey Rush | .... | Philip Henslowe |
| Judi Dench | ... | Queen Elizabeth I |
| Tom Wilkinson | .... | Hugh Fennyman |
| Steve O'Donnell | .... | Lambert (as Steven O'Donnell) |
| Tim McMullen | .... | Frees |
| Steven Beard | .... | Makepeace, the Preacher |
| Antony Sher | .... | Dr. Moth |
| Patrick Barlow | .... | Will Kempe |
| Martin Clunes | .... | Richard Burbage |
| Sandra Reinton | .... | Rosaline |
| Simon Callow | .... | Mr. Tilney, Master of the Revels |
| Bridget McConnell | .... | Lady in Waiting |
| Georgie Glen | .... | Lady in Waiting |
| Nicholas Boulton | .... | Henry Condell |
| Imelda Staunton | .... | Nurse |
| Colin Firth | .... | Lord Wessex |
| Desmond McNamara | .... | Crier |
| Barnaby Kay | .... | Nol |
| Jim Carter | .... | Ralph Bashford |
| Paul Bigley | .... | Peter, the Stage Manager |
| Jason Round | .... | Actor in Tavern |
| Rupert Farley | .... | Barman |
| Adam Barker | .... | First Auditionee |
| Joe Roberts | .... | John Webster |
| Harry Gostelow | .... | Second Auditionee |
| Alan Cody | .... | Third Auditioneer |
| Mark Williams | .... | Wabash |
| David Curtiz | .... | John Hemmings |
| Gregor Truter | .... | James Hemmings |
| Simon Day | .... | First Boatman |
| Jill Baker | .... | Lady de Lesseps |
| Amber Glossop | .... | Scullery Maid |
| Robin Davies | .... | Master Plum |
| Hywel Simons | .... | Servant |
| Nicholas Le Prevost | .... | Sir Robert de Lesseps |
| Ben Affleck | .... | Ned Alleyn |
| Timothy Kightley | .... | Edward Pope |
| Mark Saban | .... | Augustine Philips |
| Bob Barrett | .... | George Bryan |
| Roger Morlidge | .... | James Armitage |
| Daniel Brocklebank | .... | Sam Gosse |
| Roger Frost | .... | Second Boatman |
| Rebecca Charles | .... | Chambermaid |
| Richard Gold | .... | Lord in Waiting |
| Rachel Clarke | .... | First Whore |
| Lucy Speed | .... | Second Whore |
| Patricia Potter | .... | Third Whore |
| John Ramm | .... | Makepeace's Neighbor |
| Martin Neeley | .... | Paris/Lady Montague |
| Rupert Everett | .... | Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe |
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