In pictures: Harold Pinter

Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter died aged 78 on Christmas Eve after suffering from cancer.

One of the most influential modern playwrights, he wrote over 30 plays including The Homecoming and The Birthday Party.

He married twice, first to actress Vivien Merchant with whom he had a son, Daniel, then biographer Lady Antonia Fraser in 1980.

Lady Antonia Fraser, paid tribute to him, saying: "He was a great, and it was a privilege to live with him for over 33 years."

Pinter was appointed CBE in 1966, a Companion of Honour in 2002, but turned down a knighthood from John Major.

The citation for his Nobel prize said "in his plays he uncovers the precipice in everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms".

Pinter summed up his career in a 1995 interview: "Quite simply, my writing life has been one of relish, challenge, excitement."

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