William Shakespeare's 450th birthday

It's THE BARD's 450th birthday!

Celebrations are taking place across the UK to mark the 450th birthday of William Shakespeare on 23 April.

He is considered by many to be one of the world's greatest writers.

He became famous for his plays, such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. They are still performed and studied around the world today.

Many people believe William Shakespeare is the best playwright ever. As well as writing plays, he was also an actor and poet.

But what do we know about the man?

He was born in Stratford upon Avon in 1564.

The date traditionally given for his birth is April 23; perhaps because this is St George's Day, perhaps because he also died on that date.

His mum, Mary Arden, was a farmer's daughter and his dad, John Shakespeare, was a farmer turned glove-maker. In 1582, he married Anne Hathaway.

He had three children - a daughter Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sadly, Hamnet died when he was just 11-years-old.

Shakespeare moved to London, where he lived for 25 years. He wrote most of his plays here.

He died at his home in Stratford on April 23, 1616 - his 52nd birthday.

Author Michael Rosen said: "He was a fantastic storyteller. He knew how to make people gasp, he knew how to make people laugh and cry, just by standing and sitting in a theatre."

Shakespeare is also credited with inventing thousands of words we use today, such as 'horrid' and 'swagger'.