Italian playwright and actor Dario Fo, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1997, has died at the age of 90. Left-winger Fo, one of the leading figures in 20th century farce and political theatre, was best known for his works “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” and “Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay“. The Nobel jury honoured him for his work which they said emulated “the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden”.

Fo, who was known for his political satires, began his career in the 1950s and went on to write over 80 plays. He was best known for “Accidental Death of an Anarchist”and his one-man show “Mistero Buffo” (Comic Mystery), which jokingly criticized politics and religion.

In addition to his writing work, Fo was also a theatre director and he worked on several TV and movie productions, including “La voz humana”, “Hohn der Angst”, and “It Happened in Rome.” He also acted in projects including “The Betrothed”, “It Happened in Rome”, and “Francesco, lu santo jullare.”

Fo frequently collaborated with his actress wife Franca Rame, who died in 2013. The couple married in 1954 and formed the Dario Fo-Franca Rame Theatre Company in 1958.