It’s William Shakespeare 450th birthday and to mark the occasion we have had a look at ten things you might not know about the famous Bard who spent most of life in Stratford-upon-Avon.

1: Unfortunately we can’t be sure of Shakespeare true birthday despite all the claims today. As a result of guesswork and some historical research it is assumed that today’s date was his date of birth. Although he definitely died on April 23, 1616.

2: There are no historical records for what Shakespeare did between 1585 and 1592. His seven 'lost' years have been speculated on by historians for generations but despite many theories we’ll probably never know what he was up to during this period.

3: Shakespeare has apparently invented at least 1,700 words that we use everyday in the English language. Examples include 'eyeball', 'excitement', 'sanctimonious' and 'torture'.

4: It's probably the case that we are all spelling Shakespeare's name wrong. The historically recorded spelling of his name ranges from Shakp to Shaxber and he never spelt his own name Shakespeare.

Photo gallery: Look around William Shakespeare's classroom unchanged since 16th Century


5: Shakespeare's tomb at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon carries a curse. It reads “Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbeare, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.” As yet it has worked with his remains left undisturbed.

6: Shakespeare wasn't just a brilliant playwright but he was also an astute businessman. He owned the second most prestigious property in Stratford, The New Place, and continued to dabble in property until his death.

7: Shakespeare's plays have been so far been translated into more than 80 languages including Klingon, the language of Star Trek's bumpy headed warriors. You can, if you wish, listen or read 'Hamlet' in the Klingon toungue.

8: While it is generally accepted that Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, scholars actually think at least 20 could have been lost with the most famous being Cardenio.

9: Most of the pictures you see of William Shakespeare are pure guesswork as there are only two authentic portraits. One is the monument in Holy Trinity Church and the other is an engraving by Martin Droeshout, originally published on the 1623 First Folio.

10: It is not widely known aside from his writing, Shakespeare was actually an actor in some of his own plays. In fact he performed in front of Queen Elizabeth I and later James I who were both fans of his work.