Stanley William Wells, CBE, (born 21 May 1930) is a Shakespeare scholar and Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is an independent registered educational charity based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, that came into existence in 1847 following the purchase of William Shakespeare's birthplace for preservation as a national memorial. It can also lay claim to be...

.

Wells took his first degree at University College, London, and was awarded an honorary DLitt by the University of Warwick

University of Warwick

The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...

 in 2008. He was Professor of Shakespeare Studies and Director of the Shakespeare Institute

Shakespeare Institute

The Shakespeare Institute is a centre for postgraduate study dedicated to the study of William Shakespeare and the literature of the English Renaissance. It is part of the University of Birmingham, and is located in Stratford-upon-Avon....

 (University of Birmingham

University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...

) from 1988–1997, and is now Emeritus Professor of Shakespeare Studies.

Wells is co-editor (with Gary Taylor

Gary Taylor (English literature scholar)

Gary Taylor is George Matthew Edgar Professor of English at Florida State University, author of numerous books and articles, and joint editor of the Oxford Shakespeare and .-Life:...

, John Jowett and William Montgomery) of the Oxford

Oxford University Press

Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...

 Complete Works and (with Michael Dobson) the Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, and has been general editor of the Oxford Shakespeare series since 1978. He is married to the writer Susan Hill

Susan Hill

Susan Hill is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include The Woman in Black, The Mist in the Mirror and I'm the King of the Castle for which she received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971....

.

In 2009, Wells revealed the existence of the Cobbe portrait

Cobbe portrait

The Cobbe portrait is an early Jacobean panel painting of a gentleman which has been argued to be a life portrait of William Shakespeare. It is displayed at Hatchlands Park in Surrey, a National Trust property, and the portrait is so-called because of its historical ownership by Archbishop Charles...

. He stated his belief, based on three years of research, that the portrait is a true portrait of Shakespeare, painted from life.

On Tuesday 20 October 2009, he appeared on BBC 4's comedy panel show 'It's Only a Theory' - defending the prevailing opinion within contemporary Shakespeare Studies that 'The plays of William Shakespeare were written by William Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon' debunking the theory that Shakespeare's plays were written by some of his contemporaries.

In June 2010, he was awarded the Sam Wanamaker Award

Sam Wanamaker Award

The Sam Wanamaker Award or Sam Wanamaker Prize is an award established in 1994 for pioneering work in Shakespearean theatre. It is awarded by Shakespeare's Globe and named after Sam Wanamaker.-Winners:...

 by Shakespeare's Globe

Shakespeare's Globe

Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic best guess, based...

, an award given annually in the name of the Globe's founder Sam Wanamaker

Sam Wanamaker

Samuel Wanamaker was an American film director and actor and is credited as the person most responsible for the modern recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London...

 to celebrate work which has increased the understanding and enjoyment of Shakespeare.

He is the father of author Jessica Ruston.

Major publications

• Re-Editing Shakespeare for the Modern Reader (1984)
• The Oxford Dictionary of Shakespeare (1998)
• Shakespeare in the Theatre: An Anthology of Criticism (2000)
• Shakespeare: The Poet and his Plays (2001)
• The Oxford Shakespeare: King Lear
  King Lear
  King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
  
  (2001)
• Shakespeare For All Time (2002)
• Shakespeare & Co. (2006)
• Shakespeare, Sex, and Love (2010)