'The King's Speech' screenwriter David Seidler passes away at 86

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David Seidler, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of 'The King's Speech', died Saturday while on a fly-fishing expedition in New Zealand. He was 86, reported Variety.

"David was in the place he loved most in the world -- New Zealand -- doing what gave him the greatest peace which was fly-fishing," his longtime manager Jeff Aghassi said in a statement. "If given the chance, it is exactly as he would have scripted it."

Seidler earned an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Tom Hooper's 2010 film 'The King's Speech', which starred Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter. The historical drama also won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.

The theatrical version of 'The King's Speech' has been translated into over a half-dozen languages and performed on four continents. The drama was meant to move to Broadway after being presented at the Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End in 2012, but the COVID epidemic cut it short in 2020.

Seidler wrote multiple TV movies, including "Onassis: The Richest Man in the World" (1988), "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" (1988), "Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby Jessica" (1993), "Dancing in the Dark" (1995), "Come on, Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story" (1999) and "By Dawn's Early Light" (2001). He also wrote episodes for series such as "Adventures of the Seaspray," "Days of Our Lives," "Another World," "General Hospital," "The Wonderful World of Disney" and "Son of the Dragon." Seidler is survived by his adult children, Marc and Maya, reported Variety.

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