William Campbell Rough Bryden was born in Carwood Street, Greenock on 12 April 1942. The family moved nearby to East Crawford Street and later to Forfar Road. From there Bill attended Greenock High School. He always enjoyed entertaining and was in the junior church choir of Cartsburn Augustine Church and had his first stage appearance there in a play written by the minister. After school he became an apprentice sanitary inspector with the Port Glasgow Corporation. He was an active member of the George Square Players and founded the Drama Workshop having gained experience after attending a short course at Stratford-on-Avon on production of plays. The rest of his professional career, is as they say, history and is well documented on several websites, detailing his career as a writer, film director and theatre director as well as many other theatrical involvements.