Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 6, 2026

Meredith Hooper

Meredith Jean Hooper was an Australian historian and writer.

Last revised
Jul 6, 2026
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≈ 3 min
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Meredith Hooper
Born
Meredith Jean Rooney

(1939-10-21)21 October 1939
Adelaide, Australia
Died27 December 2025(2025-12-27) (aged 86)
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
Alma materUniversity of Adelaide, University of Oxford
GenreHistory, science writing, children's books
SubjectAntarctica
SpouseRichard Hooper
ChildrenTom 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 Writers4 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.67

Personal life and death

Meredith Hooper was the wife of British civil servant Richard Hooper8 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 Heroes121314
  • Celebrity Cat: With Paintings from Art Galleries Around the World15
  • The Pebble in my Pocket: A History of Our Earth16
  • The Endurance: Shackleton's Perilous Expedition in Antarctica17
  • The Ferocious Summer: Adelie Penguins and the Warming of Antarctica18
  • Stranded in the Winter: The Story of Scott’s Northern Party19
References

References

  1. "Stark images of Shackleton's struggle". BBC News. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  2. "Meredith Hooper - Biography". www.advance.org. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  3. "Meredith Hooper - David Higham Associates". David Higham Associates. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  4. 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.
  5. "Meredith Hooper". AustLit. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  6. "Meredith Hooper Australian of the Year in the UK". www.antarctica.gov.au. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  7. "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.
  8. Cave, Andrew. "Richard Hooper: Unions say private sector capital will destroy the Royal Mail - it won't". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  9. 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.
  10. Nichol, Camilla (24 February 2026). "Meredith Hooper obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  11. "Meredith Hooper". Royal Geographical Society. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  12. Hammer, Joshua (2 December 2011). "Harsh Adventures: Books About Travel". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  13. "Nonfiction Book Review: The Longest Winter: Scott's Other Heroes by Meredith Hooper". Publishers Weekly. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  14. "THE LONGEST WINTER Scott's Other Heroes by Meredith Hooper". Kirkus Reviews. 15 August 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  15. "CELEBRITY CAT by Meredith Hooper, illustrated by Bee Willey". Kirkus Reviews. 15 October 2006. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  16. "THE PEBBLE IN MY POCKET A History of Our Earth". Kirkus Reviews. 15 April 1996. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  17. "Meredith Hooper". goodreads.com. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  18. Kelly, Fran (5 September 2007). "The Ferocious Summer: Palmer's penguins and the warming of Antarctica". Radio National. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  19. "The explorers who went with Scott of the Antarctic". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
External links