---
name: "John Hopkins"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-hopkins"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "27 January 1931"
died: "23 July 1998"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T21:21:05.592693+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# John Hopkins

Writer. Born 27 January 1931 in London, England. Died 23 July 1998.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 27 January 1931, London, England
- **Died:** 23 July 1998
- **Active:** 1962–1982
- **Also known as:** John R. Hopkins
- **Works often with:** Alan Bridges, Alan Gibson, Alan Plater, Anthony Page, Anthony Read, Bill Hays

## Biography

John Hopkins, also credited as John R. Hopkins, was an English film, stage and television writer. Born in London on 27 January 1931, he was educated at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and joined the BBC as a studio manager after graduation. He began writing for radio before moving to television, where he contributed over fifty episodes to the police series *Z-Cars* (1962) and served as script editor.

Hopkins wrote the four-part television play *Talking to a Stranger* (1966) and adapted John le Carré's novel for the series *Smiley's People* (1982). His film screenplays include *Thunderball* (1965), *The Offence* (1973), *Murder by Decree* (1979) and *The Holcroft Covenant* (1985). He also wrote stage plays such as *Find Your Way Home* (1970). Hopkins died on 23 July 1998 in Woodland Hills, California.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, screenonline.org.uk.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Smiley's People* (1982), Fi1m 82, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/smileys-people.md)

## Also credited on (not yet reviewed)

- *Play for Today* (1970), Writer
- *Z-Cars* (1962), Writer

## Also known for

- *Thunderball* (1965), Screenplay
- *Murder by Decree* (1979), Screenplay
- *The Offence* (1973), Writer
- *The Holcroft Covenant* (1985), Screenplay

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/john-hopkins