In the 1998 romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love, which playwright does Joseph Fiennes portray?

In the 1998 romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love, Joseph Fiennes portrays the playwright William Shakespeare.

The film imagines Shakespeare during a period of writer’s block in London, when a romance inspires the creation of a new play. That play gradually becomes Romeo and Juliet, blending fictional events with recognizable details from Shakespeare’s theatrical world.

The story is historical fiction rather than a documentary biography. The romance between Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps is invented for the film, and the production uses dramatic license with dates, relationships and theatrical events.

Gwyneth Paltrow plays Viola, while Geoffrey Rush appears as theatre producer Philip Henslowe. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 71st Academy Awards, making it one of the most celebrated romantic comedies in awards history.