Meredith Hooper
Meredith Hooper | |
|---|---|
| Born | Meredith Jean Rooney 21 October 1939 Adelaide, Australia |
| Died | 27 December 2025 (aged 86) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | University of Adelaide, University of Oxford |
| Genre | History, science writing, children's books |
| Subject | Antarctica |
| Spouse | Richard Hooper |
| Children | Tom Hooper |
Meredith Jean Hooper (née Rooney; 21 October 1939 – 27 December 2025) was an Australian historian and writer.[1]
Early life and education
Meredith Jean Rooney was born and raised in Adelaide, Australia.[2] Hooper graduated in history from the University of Adelaide,[3] then studied imperial history at Oxford.[2]
Career
Hooper was a member of Association of British Science Writers[4] and the British Society for the History of Science, and was a visiting research fellow at the Royal Institution.[5]
In 2000, the National Science Foundation and the Congress of the United States awarded Hooper the Antarctica Service Medal.[6] In 2014, Hooper was named the Australian of the Year in the UK.[6][7]
Personal life and death
Meredith Hooper was the wife of British civil servant Richard Hooper[8] and mother of film director Tom Hooper. After seeing a 2007 reading of an unproduced play, she told her son she thought he should consider pursuing it for a film adaptation; the project became his Academy Award-winning film, The King's Speech.[9]
Hooper died on 27 December 2025, at the age of 86.[10] She was buried at Highgate Cemetery.[11]
Bibliography
- The Longest Winter: Scott's Other Heroes[12][13][14]
- Celebrity Cat: With Paintings from Art Galleries Around the World[15]
- The Pebble in my Pocket: A History of Our Earth[16]
- The Endurance: Shackleton's Perilous Expedition in Antarctica[17]
- The Ferocious Summer: Adelie Penguins and the Warming of Antarctica[18]
- Stranded in the Winter: The Story of Scott’s Northern Party[19]
References
- ^ "Stark images of Shackleton's struggle". BBC News. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Meredith Hooper - Biography". www.advance.org. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ "Meredith Hooper - David Higham Associates". David Higham Associates. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ Payzant, Jean (28 November 1997). "The Pebble in My Pocket - A History of Our Earth". CM Magazine. IV (7). The Manitoba Library Association. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Meredith Hooper". AustLit. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Meredith Hooper Australian of the Year in the UK". www.antarctica.gov.au. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ "London mayor Boris Johnson named honorary Australian of the Year". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 25 January 2014. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ Cave, Andrew. "Richard Hooper: Unions say private sector capital will destroy the Royal Mail - it won't". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ Lopez, John (8 December 2010). "The King's Speech Director Tom Hooper on the King's Stammer, Colin Firth, and the Royal Family". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ Nichol, Camilla (24 February 2026). "Meredith Hooper obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "Meredith Hooper". Royal Geographical Society. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ Hammer, Joshua (2 December 2011). "Harsh Adventures: Books About Travel". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: The Longest Winter: Scott's Other Heroes by Meredith Hooper". Publishers Weekly. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "THE LONGEST WINTER Scott's Other Heroes by Meredith Hooper". Kirkus Reviews. 15 August 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ "CELEBRITY CAT by Meredith Hooper, illustrated by Bee Willey". Kirkus Reviews. 15 October 2006. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ "THE PEBBLE IN MY POCKET A History of Our Earth". Kirkus Reviews. 15 April 1996. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ "Meredith Hooper". goodreads.com. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ Kelly, Fran (5 September 2007). "The Ferocious Summer: Palmer's penguins and the warming of Antarctica". Radio National. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ^ "The explorers who went with Scott of the Antarctic". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2017.