J

Jack Pulman

Born
July 11, 1925
Died
May 20, 1979
Age
53 years
Nationality
United Kingdom
Cause
heart attack

Remembering Jack Pulman: related finds and keepsakes

About Jack Pulman

Jack Pulman, 53, English screenwriter (I, Claudius), heart attack.

Explore other notable deaths in 1979 or deaths in May 1979.

The Deaths Archive presents

How well do you know Jack Pulman?

Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.

10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?

Challenge your friends

Play together in real-time.

Advertisement

60 Seconds Life Story

Jack Pulman was a celebrated British screenwriter known as an adaptor-extraordinary for his mastery of

60 Seconds Life Story

Jack Pulman

1925 – 1979

0:00 / 1:03

60 Seconds: Jack Pulman's Life Story

1:03Added 2026-10-24Generated

A look at the life and career of acclaimed British television screenwriter Jack Pulman.

Transcript

Jack Pulman was a celebrated British screenwriter known as an adaptor-extraordinary for his mastery of literary works. Born in London in 1925, he built a remarkable career bringing complex narratives to the screen. He famously penned the 1976 BBC television series I, Claudius, based on the novels by Robert Graves. His prolific body of work included teleplays for classics like War and Peace and Jane Eyre. In 1956, he married Barbara Young, and they raised two children together. Tragically, Pulman died of a heart attack in London on May 20, 1979, at the age of 53. Following his death, his final screenplay, Private Schulz, went into production, cementing his lasting legacy in British television history.

Play the illustrated life story above, or read the full biography on this page.

Visual credits: Phoenix_Connection_Brazil / Pixabay (Pixabay Content License) · From geograph.org.uk (CC BY-SA 2.0) · This file has been provided by the British Library from its digital collections. Links to the British Library's website may be broken as the library recovers from a October 2023 cyber attack, and will be updated once material becomes accessible online. For more information on the attack see: https://www.bl.uk/about/cyber-attack It is also made available on a British Library website. (CC0) · Generated illustration by The Deaths Archive (Generated illustration, not a photograph) · 『装苑』1954年5月号 (Public domain) · Sepia London June 27 2014 149 Royal London Hospital (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0)

An illustrated presentation assembled inside the archive from the approved script and the credited images: narration, scene transitions and captions. Caption timing is estimated from the narration.

Narrated illustration. Images are sourced and credited; they are not presented as authenticated photographs.

Full Biography

|

Jack Pulman (11 July 1925 – 20 May 1979) was a British television screenwriter, most famous for the 1976 BBC television series, I, Claudius, based on the novels I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves.

Biography

Born and raised in London, Pulman was renowned as "adaptor-extraordinary," having written teleplays for such literary works as, The Portrait of a Lady, Jane Eyre, Crime and Punishment, David Copperfield, and War and Peace.

Pulman married Barbara Young in 1956. Together they had two children, including actress and singer Liza Pulman.

He died of a heart attack in London on 20 May 1979. His last screenplay, Private Schulz, went into production after his death. His widow, Barbara Young, collected a posthumous writers award from The Royal Television Society for his work on the show in 1982.

He also wrote the screenplays for the 1970 film The Executioner and the 1971 film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped.

Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Interactive

Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge

How well do you know this person's life and legacy?

No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.

Articles & News

Reported coverage of Jack Pulman; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.

Books & Media

Find books, audiobooks and films about Jack Pulman on Amazon.

Available at Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Sources

People who died on May 20

Spotted an error?

Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.

Report an error for Jack Pulman →

Advertisement

We use cookies for analytics (Google Analytics 4 and PostHog) and advertising (Google AdSense) to understand site usage and improve your experience. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of these cookies. See our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy for details.