David Wood

David Wood (OBE) is a British playwright, author, and actor. He is well-known for his of children's classics and The Times newspaper labelled him 'the National Children's Dramatist'.

Wood was born in Surrey, England, and was educated at Worcester College, Oxford University. He started his career as an actor, featuring in film such as If (1968) and Acres High (1976). He also appeared in the original London cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Jeeves (1975).

In 1979, he founded the touring children's theatre, Whirlgig Theatre, with John Gould. He has written and adapted several play/musical plays for children, including The Gingerbread Man (1976), The Ideal Gnome Expedition (1980), Fantastic Mr Fox (2001), Tom's Midnight Garden (2001), Spot's Birthday Party (2003), and Goodnight Mister Tom (2011). Goodnight Mister Tom was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment in 2013.

In 2004, Wood was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his services to literature and drama.