William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. Some of his most famous works include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. Shakespeare wrote around 37 plays as well as 154 sonnets and numerous other poems during his lifetime. Many of his plays are still frequently performed around the world to this day.