William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, England. His mother came from a family of  farmers and his father was a town official. He also had seven sibings. On November 28, 1582, he married Anne Hathaway who was the daughter of a farmer near Stratford. They had three children, two of which twins. 

    During the 1590’s, Shakespeare went to London and joined a touring theater company.  He worked as a lead actor in the company. In the late 1590's he established himself as a writer and a poet and founded the Globe Theater in London with 6 other associates. Shakespeare and the 6 associates called themselves "The King’s Men" starting 1603 with the permission of King James. Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 at the age of 52.