William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England to glove maker John Shakespeare and married Anne Hathaway at age 18. He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets over his career based in London as an actor and writer for playing companies. Shakespeare established himself in London but eventually returned to Stratford where he died in 1616 at age 52, leaving behind a legacy as one of the greatest English writers of all time.