William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Although no one is really sure what day Shakespeare was born, his birthday is usually celebrated as being April 23. (He was baptized on April 26, so it is at least known he had to have been born close to and before that day.) He was the oldest son and the third child of eight born to Jon Shakespeare and Mary Arden. In 1582, at the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway who was seven years his senior. In 1588 he moved to London and very soon after established himself as a great playwright. With the writing of his Sonnets and other erotic poetry, Shakespeare was also able to establish himself as a great poet. Although the Sonnets may suggest bisexuality or even homosexuality in Shakespeare, no one is quite certain of the truth. It is known that he lived apart from his wife while in London, but no historian can ever prove his sexual orientation, and though many like to speculate, his sexual preference(s) really are of no importance to his career or his talent. His acting company was originally called the Chamberlain's Men. The name was later changed to the King's Men. This company had two theatres: the Globe and the Blackfriars. Queen Elizabeth I and King James I liked to watch Shakespeare's plays more than any other royals of his time. In 1608, Shakespeare moved back to Stratford and sold and bought real estate for the remainder of his life. He died on April 23, 1616 and was burried in the Stratford church. (Sources: HistoryChannel.com and my Shakespeare teacher)