Michael Hirst (born 1952) is an English screenwriter, best known for his films Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), as well as the Emmy Award-winning television series The Tudors.

Biography

Hirst was head writer, creator and executive producer of the Showtime television Drama Series The Tudors which aired from 2007 to 2010. It tells the story of King Henry VIII and his Six Wives as well as his court and the dilemmas throughout his kingdom during his reign.

Hirst is one of the co-writers on the screenplay for the James Dalessandro book, 1906. The story follows a young man who discovers a series of secrets and lies that left San Francisco highly vulnerable to the fires that engulfed it in the aftermath of the historical 1906 earthquake. It is set for release in 2012.

Hirst had been chosen to write the movie adaptation of Stuart Hill's best selling book: The Cry Of The Icemark before it was put on hold and is also set to adapt the Bernard Cornwell's book Azincourt, which tells the story of King Henry V of England and the Battle of Agincourt.

In 2011, he co-produced the series Camelot with Chris Chibnall for Starz.

Hirst produced The Borgias television series for Showtime. The Borgias tells the story of the notorious Borgia family. It stars Jeremy Irons as Pope Alexander VI, his first series-regular role. The show is created by Neil Jordan and began filming in the summer of 2010.

Hirst is developing a feature film about Mary Queen of Scots with Working Title Films, to star Saoirse Ronan.

Premiering in 2013, Hirst created Vikings the History Channel's first foray into the serialised drama. It stars Gabriel Byrne, Travis Fimmel, Clive Standen, Katheryn Winnick, Jessalyn Gilsig and Gustaf Skarsgard.

Best films