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Wolf Mankowitz, a playwright, screenwriter, and novelist, was one of Britain's most prolific and successful writers. Once hailed as "the rising hope of British musical theatre," he led an extravagant life, owning three luxury homes, though he often faced issues with the tax authorities.
Born in London's East End, his father Solomon was a Russian émigré who operated a secondhand bookstall. Mankowitz attended East Ham Grammar School and earned a scholarship to Downing College, Cambridge, where he edited an undergraduate magazine and worked part-time in a bookshop.
After graduating from Cambridge, he authored several books on pottery and porcelain, his first passion, before publishing Make Me An Offer (1952). The book was a success and was later adapted into a television show, a film in 1954, and a West End musical. His notable film A Kid for Two Farthings (1955) followed in 1953.
He adapted screenplays from his own novels and also worked on The Millionairess (1960), The Waltz of the Toreadors, Casino Royale (1967), Black Beauty (1971), and The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961).
Expresso Bongo (1959) achieved success both on stage and screen, leading Mankowitz to become a theatrical impresario. He penned several other musicals, including Pickwick (1963) and Stand and Deliver (1972).
In 1971, he purchased a house in Cork, Ireland, to benefit from the country's lenient tax policies for writers, but by 1981, he was declared bankrupt with tax debts amounting to £53,000.
Irish playwright and screenwriter Patrick Galvin remarked, "Mankowitz had this enormous energy as a writer coupled with a terrific knack for dialogue. He was a born playwright and a very professional man."
Mankowitz married Ann Margaret Seligman in 1944. They had a son, Gered, who became a celebrated photographer known for capturing images of pop stars such as The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull, Elton John, and John Barry.
