John Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, the son of Norman and Myfanwy
Shrapnel. He was brought up in Stockport and south London, attending
City of London School and Cambridge University. He was an original
member of the National Youth Theatre and had worked extensively in
theatre, particularly the Royal Shakespeare Company and National
Theatre. He lived in Suffolk and London.
One of his ancestors was General Henry Shrapnel (1761-1842) who invented an exploding cannonball, thus giving his name to the shards of metal produced by an exploding shell.