William John Francis Naughton (12 June 1910 – 9 January 1992) was an Irish-born British playwright and author, best known for his play Alfie.

Early life

Born into relative poverty in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, Ireland, he moved to Bolton, Lancashire, England, in 1914 as a child. There he attended Saint Peter and Paul's School, and worked as a weaver, coal-bagger and lorry-driver before he started writing.

Writing career

His stage play, Alfie, adapted for the 1966 film starring Michael Caine in the eponymous role, originated in a radio play, Alfie Elkins and His Little Life, first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme in 1962, which became a production at the Mermaid Theatre in 1963. It transferred to the West End before a very brief run on Broadway. Naughton was a prolific writer of plays, novels, short stories and children's book…Read more on Wikipedia