William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He had a wife and three children and left Stratford for London in the 1580s to pursue a career in acting and playwriting. In London, he joined an acting company called The Lord Chamberlain's Men and wrote over 30 plays, becoming a wealthy and famous dramatist. Some of his most famous plays include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. He is considered the greatest English playwright and poet in history for his understanding of human nature and ability to create universally relatable stories.