Roy Horniman | |
|---|---|
 Photographic portrait of Roy Horniman (about 1922). | |
| Born | Robert Horniman 31 July 1868 Southsea, Hampshire |
| Died | 11 October 1930 (aged 62) Notting Hill, London |
| Pen name | 'Layton Foster', Roy Horniman |
| Occupation | actor, writer |
Roy Horniman (born Robert Horniman, 31 July 1868–11 October 1930) was a prolific British playwright and novelist, most prominently active during the Edwardian era. He published many short stories and novels and wrote original plays, as well as dramatic adaptations of novels and plays by other authors. After World War I he extended his writing to film screenplays. Horniman was a vegetarian and a nature curist. He was devoted to the cause of animal welfare, in particular the protection and care of working horses, and was opposed to vivisection.
Horniman's 1907 novel, Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal, was used as the basis of the screenplay of the highly-regarded 1949 black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets and inspired the 2013 Broadway musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.