biography of roald dahl ks2

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Roald Dahl facts for kids

Roald Dahl (September 13, 1916 – November 23, 1990) was a British novelist , short-story writer , poet , screenwriter , and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has been called "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century."

Dahl's short stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his children's books for their unsentimental, often darkly comic mood. His works for children include James and the Giant Peach , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Matilda , The Witches , Fantastic Mr Fox , The BFG , The Twits , The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me , and George's Marvellous Medicine . His adult works include Tales of the Unexpected .

Repton School

After school, fighter pilot, diplomat, writer, and intelligence officer, post-war life, children's fiction, screenplays, recognitions and awards, roald dahl quotes, interesting facts about roald dahl, writing roles, presenting roles, non-presenting appearances, publications.

Roald Dahl was born in 1916 at Villa Marie, Fairwater Road, in Llandaff , Cardiff , Wales , to Norwegians Harald Dahl (1863–1920) and Sofie Magdalene Dahl ( née Hesselberg) (1885–1967). Dahl's father, a wealthy shipbroker, had immigrated to the UK from Sarpsborg. Dahl was named after Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen . His first language was Norwegian, which he spoke at home.

In 1920, when Roald was 3, his older sister Astri died from appendicitis . Several weeks later, his father died of pneumonia at age 57. Later that year, his youngest sister, Asta, was born. Dahl's mother decided to remain in Wales instead of returning to Norway to live with relatives, as her husband had wanted their children to be educated in English schools, which he considered the world's best.

Dahl first attended The Cathedral School, Llandaff. When he was eight, he and four of his friends were punished by the headmaster after putting a dead mouse in a jar of gobstoppers at the local sweet shop, which was owned by a "mean and loathsome" old woman named Mrs. Pratchett. The five boys named their prank the "Great Mouse Plot of 1924." He later used this and other childhood experiences when he wrote about the everlasting gobstopper in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .

Dahl was transferred to St Peter's boarding school in Weston-super-Mare . He did not like it there, but he did not tell his mother this in his weekly letters to her.

Beginning in 1929, when he was 13, Dahl attended Repton School in Derbyshire. He was never seen as a talented writer in his school years; however, Roald loved literature and photography. He often carried a camera with him wherever he went. Dahl was exceptionally tall, reaching 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) in adult life. He played sports including cricket , football , and golf , and was made captain of the squash team.

During his years at Repton, the Cadbury chocolate company occasionally sent boxes of new chocolates to the school to be tested by the students. Dahl dreamed of inventing a new chocolate bar that would win the praise of Mr. Cadbury himself; this inspired him in writing his third children's book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), and to refer to chocolate in other children's books.

While he was at Repton School, Dahl noticed and disliked the way that older boys were cruel to younger boys. He later wrote about these times in Boy: Tales of Childhood . Some people believe that this is why many of his children's stories are not as happy as most stories. They usually feature adult villains of the child characters. Usually, there are good adults and bad adults in his stories. In Boy: Tales of Childhood , he also wrote about the pleasant times he spent with his mother's family on summer holidays during his childhood and adolescent years.

After finishing his schooling, in August 1934 Dahl crossed the Atlantic on the RMS  Nova Scotia and hiked through Newfoundland with the Public Schools Exploring Society. He also worked for the Shell Petroleum Company. After two years of training, he was assigned to live in Mombasa , Kenya, then to Dar es Salaam in the British colony of Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania). He had a cook and personal servants.

In November 1939, Dahl joined the Royal Air Force as an aircraftman. After his training was complete, he was commissioned as a pilot officer on August 24, 1940. He was judged ready to join a squadron and face the enemy.

On September 19, 1940, Dahl crashed in his aircraft on the territory of Libya. Dahl's skull was fractured and his nose was smashed; he was temporarily blinded. He managed to drag himself away from the blazing wreckage and lost consciousness. It was later revealed that he had mistakenly been sent to the no man's land between the Allied and Italian forces. He wrote about the crash in his first published work.

Dahl had a record of five aerial victories, which qualified him as a flying ace . It is most likely that he scored more than those victories on April 20, 1941, when 22 German aircraft were shot down.

After being sent home because of migraines from his injuries, Dahl was posted to an RAF training camp in Uxbridge . He tried to recover his health enough to become an instructor. In late March 1942, while in London, he met the Under-Secretary of State for Air, Major Harold Balfour , at his club. Impressed by Dahl's war record and his ability to speak well, Balfour appointed Roald as assistant air attaché at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.

During the war, Dahl supplied intelligence from Washington to Prime Minister Winston Churchill . Toward the end of the war, Dahl wrote some of the history of the secret organization.

Dahl married American actress Patricia Neal on July 2, 1953, at Trinity Church in New York City. Their marriage lasted for 30 years and they had five children:

• Olivia Twenty (1955–1962);
• Chantal Sophia "Tessa" (born 1957), who became an author and was the mother of the author, cookbook writer, and former model Sophie Dahl (after whom Sophie in The BFG is named).;
• Theo Matthew (born 1960);
• Ophelia Magdalena (born 1964);
• Lucy Neal (born 1965).

Dahl worked with hydraulic engineer Stanley Wade and London's Great Ormond Street Hospital neurosurgeon Kenneth Till to develop the "Wade-Dahl-Till" (or WDT) valve, a device to improve the shunt used to lessen the pressure of hydrocephalus. He did this because his four-month-old son Theo suffered from hydrocephalus after his baby carriage was hit by a taxicab in New York City. The WDT valve has been used successfully on almost 3,000 children around the world.

In 1962, Dahl lost his daughter Olivia. She died of measles encephalitis at age seven. Three years later, his wife Patricia Neal suffered three burst cerebral aneurysms while pregnant with their fifth child, Lucy. Dahl took care of his wife while she re-learned how to talk and walk.

In 1983, Patricia Neal and Dahl divorced, and Dahl married Felicity d'Abreu Crosland, known as Liccy. She was a set designer that had worked with Patricia.

Dahl titled his first work "A Piece of Cake." It was the story of his wartime adventures. The Saturday Evening Post purchased it for $1,000 ($17,910 in 2024) and published it under the title "Shot Down Over Libya."

His first children's book was The Gremlins , published in 1943, about mischievous little creatures that were part of Royal Air Force folklore. The RAF pilots blamed the gremlins for all the problems with the aircraft. Dahl went on to write some of the best-loved children's stories of the 20th century, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Matilda , James and the Giant Peach , The Witches , Fantastic Mr. Fox , The BFG , The Twits , and George's Marvellous Medicine . Tim Burton , Steven Spielberg , and Scarlett Johansson say that they have been positively influenced by Roald Dahl's stories.

Dahl also wrote morbid short stories for adults, which often blended humor and innocence with surprising plot twists. Dahl wrote more than 60 short stories.

The last book published in his lifetime, Esio Trot , released in January 1990, marked a change in style for the author. Unlike other Dahl works (which often feature tyrannical adults and heroic/magical children), it is the story of an old, lonely man trying to make a connection with a woman he has loved from afar.

Dahl's children's works are usually told from the point of view of a child. They typically involve adult villains who hate and mistreat children, and feature at least one "good" adult to counteract the villain(s). Dahl also features characters who are very fat; they are usually children.

Dahl encouraged his children and his readers to let their imaginations run free. He was famous for his inventive, playful use of language, which was a key element of his writing. He built his new words on familiar sounds. Lexicographer Susan Rennie describes it this way: "You know that something lickswishy and delumptious is good to eat, whereas something uckyslush or rotsome is definitely not!"

For a short time in the 1960s, Dahl wrote screenplays. Two, the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , were adaptations of novels by Ian Fleming. Dahl's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was rewritten by David Seltzer and changed to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). Dahl did not like the film. He was angry because the story was changed too much. He said it placed too much emphasis on Willie Wonka and not enough on Charlie.

In his younger days, Roald was an avid reader. He loved fantastic tales of heroism and triumph. His favorite authors were Rudyard Kipling , Charles Dickens , William Makepeace Thackeray , Lewis Carroll , and Frederick Marryat . Their works made a lasting mark on his life and writing.

Dahl said that his mother and her stories also had a strong influence on his writing. She used to tell him traditional Norwegian myths and legends from her native homeland. This helped him to like ghost stories. He based the grandmother character in The Witches on his mother as a tribute .

In 1961, Dahl hosted and wrote for a science fiction and horror television anthology series called Way Out . He also wrote for the satirical BBC comedy show That Was the Week That Was . Between 1979 and 1988, Tales of the Unexpected aired on ITV . The series was originally based on Dahl's short stories.

Death and legacy

Roald Dahl died on November 23, 1990, at the age of 74 of a rare cancer of the blood, myelodysplastic syndrome , in Oxford . He was buried in the cemetery at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Great Missenden , Buckinghamshire , England. Today, children continue to leave toys and flowers by his grave.

In September 2021, Netflix purchased the Roald Dahl Story Company in a deal worth more than $686 million (£500 million). This is equal to $741 million in 2024.

Some landmarks or items that have been named in honor of Roald Dahl include:

• The Roald Dahl Children's Gallery ,
• The main-belt asteroid 6223 Dahl, discovered by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos,
• The Roald Dahl Plass ,
• Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity,
• The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Center ,
• The Roald Dahl Funny Prize,
• "Roald Dahl Day", the anniversary of Dahl's September 13 birthday (celebrated in Africa, the United Kingdom, and Latin America),
• A set of four postage stamps in 2010, and
• A set of six postage stamps in 2012.

• Sixteenth of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945 ( The Times )
• One of the world's best-selling fiction authors
• Britain's favorite author (2000)
• On the list of Amazon 's top five best-selling children's authors on the online store (2016)
• The greatest storyteller of all time, ranking ahead of Dickens , Shakespeare , Rowling and Spielberg (2017 UK poll)
• The top-earning dead celebrity ( Forbes 2021)
• "Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."
• "Life is more fun if you play games."
• "A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely."
• So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall. Then fill the shelves with lots of books."
• "Having power is not nearly as important as what you choose to do with it."
• "If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books."
• Dahl wrote many of his stories in a little shed at the bottom of his garden.
• He never learned to type. He wrote in a red book with a pencil.
• Dahl invented over 250 new and fun words. There is a dictionary (the Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary) that lists his words.
• Many of Dahl’s characters were based on people he had met in real life.
• In 1971, a real man named Willy Wonka wrote to Roald Dahl. He was a postman in Nebraska .
• His nickname in the Royal Air Force (RAF) was "Lofty."
• The famous book James and the Giant Peach was originally going to be called James and the Giant Cherry .

Filmography

• This page was last modified on 26 July 2024, at 18:05. Suggest an edit .

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• BBC - The dark side of Roald Dahl
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Roald Dahl (born September 13, 1916, Llandaff , Wales—died November 23, 1990, Oxford , England) was a British writer who was a popular author of ingenious and irreverent children’s books . His best-known works include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) and Matilda (1988), both of which were adapted into popular films.

Following his graduation from Repton, a renowned British public school, in 1934, Dahl avoided a university education and joined an expedition to Newfoundland. He worked from 1937 to 1939 in Dar es Salaam , Tanganyika (now in Tanzania), but he enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) when World War II broke out. Flying as a fighter pilot, he was seriously injured in a crash landing in Libya . He served with his squadron in Greece and then in Syria before doing a stint (1942–43) as assistant air attaché in Washington, D.C. (during which time he also served as a spy for the British government). There the novelist C.S. Forester encouraged him to write about his most exciting RAF adventures, which were published by the Saturday Evening Post .

Dahl’s first book, The Gremlins (1943), was written for Walt Disney but was largely unsuccessful. His service in the RAF influenced his first story collection, Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying (1946), a series of military tales that was warmly received by critics but did not sell well. He achieved best-seller status with Someone like You (1953; rev. ed. 1961), a collection of macabre stories for adults, which was followed by Kiss, Kiss (1959), which focused on stormy romantic relationships.

Dahl then turned primarily to writing the children’s books that would give him lasting fame. Unlike most other books aimed at a young audience, Dahl’s works had a darkly comic nature, frequently including gruesome violence and death. His villains were often malevolent adults who imperiled precocious and noble child protagonists. James and the Giant Peach (1961; film 1996 ), written for his own children, was a popular success, as was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), which was made into the films Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). His other works for young readers include Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970; film 2009 ), Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1972), The Enormous Crocodile (1978), The BFG (1982; films 1989 and 2016 ), and The Witches (1983; film 1990 ). One of his last such books, Matilda (1988), was adapted for film (1996 and 2022) and the stage ( 2010). Many of Dahl’s books have been illustrated by the award-winning illustrator Quentin Blake .

While Dahl focused primarily on children’s literature late in his career, he continued to produce short stories for adult audiences during this time, which were published in collections such as Switch Bitch (1974), The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, and Six More (1977), and Tales of the Unexpected (1979). Dahl also wrote several scripts for movies, among them You Only Live Twice (1967) and (with Ken Hughes and Richard Maibaum) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). His autobiography, Boy: Tales of Childhood , was published in 1984.

While his lasting reputation to many is that of a beloved children’s author, Dahl has also been a controversial figure both during his lifetime and after. Some of his works, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , were criticized at the time of their publication for their use of racial and sexual stereotypes , but his most notable transgressions came outside of his fiction. In several interviews and nonfiction writings during the 1980s and ’90s, Dahl expressed opinions that were widely viewed as anti-Semitic . While he defended himself as being “anti- Israel ” rather than anti-Semitic, that distinction was not accepted by a number of readers, and his estate published an apology for his statements in 2020. Three years later, Dahl’s publishers announced that they had revised hundreds of insensitive and outdated passages in his classic children’s books, a move that was met with both support for reflecting a changing culture and criticism for perceived editorial overreach.

Roald Dahl Biography – With Comprehension Questions

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Roald Dahl Biography – with Comprehension Questions

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13 phizz-whizzing facts about Roald Dahl

We’ve put together some fantastic facts about roald dahl’s life, and boy are there some humdingers….

13th September 2020 marks what would have been Roald Dahl’s 104th birthday!

To celebrate all the brilliant books , playful poems and witty words he gave us over the years, we’ve put together some fantastic facts about the author’s life, and boy are there some humdingers…

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable Roald Dahl primary resource ? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

Roald Dahl facts

1. dahl wrote many of his stories in a little shed at the bottom of his garden.

Known as his ‘writing hut’, Dahl sat in a battered old armchair and penned famous tales such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .

2. He was a fighter pilot in World War II 

During a flight in a Gloster Gladiator (fighter plane) in 1940 over Libya, Dahl crash landed in the desert and survived – all because he’d been given the wrong directions!

3. Dahl wrote for around four hours every single day

From 10am – 12pm, and then 4pm – 6pm

4. He never learned how to type

Instead, Dahl preferred to do all his writing in an old red book in pencil.

5. When Roald Dahl died in 1990, he was buried with some of his favourite things

Including a power drill, chocolate, snooker cues and of course, his HB pencils.

6. There are strange mementos still sitting in his writing hut

These include a huge ball made of old chocolate wrappers, and a piece of hip bone that he had to have removed!

Quentin Blake illustrated many of Dahl’s much loved books over the years.

7. dahl was a spy.

During World War II he passed intelligence to MI6 from Washington.

8. Dahl invented over 250 new words

There’s even an official Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary to help you tell your snozzcumbers from your snozzberries.

9. Many of Dahl’s characters were based on people he’d met in real life

The grandmother in The Witches is said to be based on Dahl’s mother, and the little girl in The BFG was named after his granddaughter, Sophie. 

10. Dahl was born in Wales, but his parents were Norwegian

As a child, Roald spoke fluent Norwegian and English. He’s even named after the famous Norwegian polar explorer, Roald Amundson.

11. Writing wasn’t his strong point at school

– according to his teachers, anyway!

12. In 1971, a real man named Willy Wonka wrote to Roald Dahl

He was a postman from Nebraska.

13. Roald Dahl was a giant!

Okay, not quite like the ones in his stories, but he was 6 foot 6 inches tall! This earned him the nickname ‘Lofty’ when he served in the RAF.

Which is your favourite Roald Dahl book? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

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Nice facts and my favourite book is... The BFG

George’s Marvellous Medicine, because it’s SO funny!

Esio Trot is my favourite, because it just is!

its very creative!

thx for the facts

I got the whole collection of Roald Dahl books yesterday, I've already read two and love them! My favourite is Matilda though!

My favorite book: The witches and Charlie and the chocolate factory

I all most read every book he has

Thank you and very interesting

i love roald dahl

The fantastic Mr fox

The Fantastic Mr Fox

Ilove reading his books so much

James and giant peach

wow i did not know that

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii coooooooooolllllllllllllll

My favourite book was the twits

Love the info

I like this info

I love this facts but they can be shorter

I like Matilda

Thanks for the info

he is a auspicious author and i am a fan of him

Fantastic Mr.Fox !!!!

I like matilda

easy to find.

The Twits is my favorite book

My favrourite is Danny The Campion of The world so far. I found out the arthor Roald Dahl when I was in the Op-shop.

My favourite Roal Dahl book is Matilda

My dog is called Sophie my favorite is the bfg

I love Roald Dahl! Matilda is my favourite. And to think writing wasn’t his strong point at school?!

I don't have a favorite because all of them are TRULY AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved roald dahl's books , and I have always wanted to meet him. But sadly, he has already past away.

#1 fan roald dahl my 3 favourite books are the twits, matilda and james and the jient peach love you roald xoxoxo

We like the BFG because there are amazing twists about the story.

i love reading Roald Dahl books my fav book is the witches :) :] ps. i love you Roald Dahl

Brilliant I love his books

I love all of Roald Dahls books

the bfg is my favourite. and the little girl is called sophie because his granddaughter sophie used to call him the bfs.

#1 fan! My favourite book is Mischief and Mayham. Your the BEST Roald Dahl.

Roald Dahl is AWESOME! My favourite book is Mischief and Mayham.

My favourite book is CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Well done Roald Dahl

I love Matilda

Love the facts

I love Roald Dahl

My favorite is Matilda because I like the adventure, the Trunchbull and her super power.

love love love thease amazing books so cool

my favourite is the BFG

I love Roald Dahl books, especially The BFG and Matilda

my favourites are probably The BFG because it is so entertaining and funny. next is Matilda because it has so much in it!

All his books are the MOST BEST BOOKS EVER

BFG because its funny and intresting

I have Roald Dahl audio books... all of them!

My favourite Roald Dahl stories are The witches and The BFG

wow that is a lot of facts about one of my fave author Roald Dahl!!!!! :)

My favourite Roald Dahl book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - because i like chocolate, my dad doesn't like the umpa-lumpas

He is my most favourite author of all times.

I love Matilda!

bfg its awesome

I think number 12 is super cool

my favourite book is the BFG

My fav is Matilda.

Great facts

My favourite book of roald dahl is the witches because it teaches us to not go with strangers.

my favorite roald dahl book is the twits

my favourite Roald Dahl book is the BFG. Fun fact I was born in the same month as Roald Dahl...SEPTEMBER!!!

All of them and thank you for the facts

he was the greatest story teller but how did he die?

I love Roald Daul books!

Matilda is awsome

my favarrite book is the bfg

This is amazing and cool to learn facts about Ronald Dahl !.

cool facts i love it

I like the BFG because he says silly words and blows dreams i wondered where dreams came from.

i like esio trot

my favourite book is danny the champion of the world

BEST FACTS EVER!!!

Amazing Roald dahl is one of my favorite authors eve!!!!

I love Matilda.

My favourite Roald Dahl book is Georges Marvellous Medicine!

Loved his books ( especially the bfg) I knew most of these facts but the others were great to know

James and the giant peach!!!

Matilda is my favourite book

Charlie and the chocolate factory

My favourite Roald Dahl book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Im planning to become a storyteller when I grow up.

I love the BFG!

My favourite book is the BFG

I really like the book Matilda. I like the way Dahl put the characters together. Miss Trunchbull is super freaky and cool at the same time:-)

I love the BFG because of all the hilarious words!

My favourite Roald Dahl book is Charlie and the chocolate factory because it is all about chocolate and I love chocolate.

My favourite book by Roald Dahl is the bfg

Favourite book? How can I choose just one? The BFG is wonderful but Danny the Champion of the World also holds a special place in my heart! A grown up child of 40!

Roal Dhal is an amazing author. My favorite Roal Dhal book is Matilda.

he is 100 today and i went to school first day and i did not know he died in 1990

My favourite Roald Dahl book is Matilda because it is funny and enjoyable and i love reading just like her

the twits is my fav

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• The Gremlins (1943)
• James and the Giant Peach (1961)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)
• The Magic Finger (1966)
• Fantastic Mr Fox (1970)
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1972)
• Danny, the Champion of the World (1975)
• The Enormous Crocodile (1978)
• The Twits (1980)
• George's Marvellous Medicine (1981)
• The BFG (1982)
• The Witches (1983)
• The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me (1985)
• Matilda (1988)
• Esio Trot (1989)
• The Vicar of Nibbleswicke (1990)
• The Minpins (1991)
• Dahl wrote two autobiographies. The first was called Boy and covered his childhood up to the age of 20. The second was Going Solo where he talks about his first jobs and his experiences as a fighter pilot in WWII.
• Roald was married to Hollywood actress Patricia Neal.
• He kept a diary as a child and hid it up at the top of a tree so his sisters couldn't get to it.
• He was 6 feet 6 inches tall!
• His favorite color was yellow and his favorite food was caviar.
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Writing a Biography — Roald Dahl (Years 3-4)

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This worksheet about popular children's author Roald Dahl will help children get to grips with organising information in their non-fiction writing. They need to organise the facts into a sensible order and then use them to write their own biography of Roald Dahl.

• Key Stage: Key Stage 2
• Subject: English
• Topic: Drafting and Writing
• Topic Group: Writing
• Year(s): Years 3-4
• Media Type: PDF
• Resource Type: Worksheet
• Last Updated: 22/11/2021
• Resource Code: E2WAE74
• Curriculum Point(s): Draft and write by organising paragraphs around a theme. Retrieve and record information from non-fiction.

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A Monstrous Meal – Writing a Formal Letter (Years 5-6)

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Comprehension : Biography of Roald Dahl

Subject: English

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

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