Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Phil Norris

Nicholas Evans dead: The Horse Whisperer author dies suddenly aged 72

Nicholas Evans, the author of The Horse Whisperer, has died at the age of 72. A statement from his literary agency said the novelist, screenwriter and journalist died on Tuesday August 9 following a heart attack.

A statement said: “United Agents are very sad to announce the sudden death of the celebrated best-selling author Nicholas Evans who died suddenly on Tuesday … following a heart attack, aged 72.”

Published in 1995, The Horse Whisperer was Evans’ debut novel and follows a complex and talented trainer who is hired to help an injured teenager and her horse back to health after a severe injury. It sold more than 15 million copies and became the year’s 10th bestselling novel in the US.

The story was adapted for the big screen in 1998 by Hollywood star Robert Redford, who starred as the title character, with Scarlett Johansson playing young rider Grace MacLean in her breakout role. Kristin Scott Thomas starred as her mother, Annie, while Sam Neill played her father, Robert.

Robert Redford in The Horse Whisperer (Channel 5)

Born in 1950 in Worcestershire, Evans was educated at Bromsgrove School before reading law at Oxford. During the 1970s he worked as a journalist on the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle upon Tyne before moving into broadcasting media.

He specialised in US politics and foreign affairs and spent time covering the war in Beirut By the 1980s he was at London Weekend Television, producing films on Sir Laurence Olivier, Francis Bacon and David Hockney for The South Bank Show.

After developing his skills as a screenwriter with projects starring Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Sir Ian Holm and more, he began work on his debut novel, The Horse Whisperer. He other worlds include The Loop (1998), The Smoke Jumper (2001), The Divide (2005) and The Brave (2010).

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.