- Will Shakespeare dreamed of becoming an actor and a playwright. At nineteen he left his home town of Stratford and headed for London, following his dream. He became an actor, part owner of the Globe theatre - and the greatest playwright of all time. 400 years on, his plays are even more popular. They are performed in theatres all over the world. Other titles in the series: Amelia Earhart, Alexander the Great, Captain Cook, Cleopatra, Eric the Red Galileo, Gandhi, Hans Christian Andersen, Henry Ford, Roald Dahl and Thomas Edison.