Authors' involvement with Academy Award films

1. Roald Dahl

Dahl was born in Wales in 1916. He served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He made a forced landing in the Libyan Desert and was severely injured. As a result, he spent five months in a Royal Navy hospital in Alexandria. Dahl is noted for how he relates suspenseful and...

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory James and the Giant Peach Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Fantastic Mr. Fox Revolting Rhymes The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

2. Dr. Seuss

Writer | How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Acclaimed writer, Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, March 2nd, 1904. After attending Dartmouth College and Oxford University, he began a career in advertising. His advertising cartoons, featuring Quick, Henry, the Flit!, appeared in several leading ...

500 Hats Bartholomew Cubbins And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street Design for Death Gerald McBoing-Boing The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. Gerald McBoing! Boing! on Planet Moo Home Alone How the Grinch Stole Christmas

3. Ian Fleming

Writer | Casino Royale

Born into a wealthy and influential English family, Ian Fleming spent his early years attending top British schools such as Eton and Sandhurst military academy. He took to writing while schooling in Kitzbuhel, Austria, and upon failing the entrance requirements for Foreign Service joined the news ...

Goldfinger Thunderball Casino Royale Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Diamonds Are Forever Live and Let Die The Spy Who Loved Me Moonraker For Your Eyes Only Skyfall Spectre No Time to Die

4. Stephen King

Writer | Maximum Overdrive

Stephen Edwin King was born on September 21, 1947, at the Maine General Hospital in Portland. His parents were Nellie Ruth (Pillsbury), who worked as a caregiver at a mental institute, and Donald Edwin King, a merchant seaman. His father was born under the surname "Pollock," but used the last name ...

Carrie Stand by Me Misery The Shawshank Redemption The Green Mile

5. Gore Vidal

Actor | GATTACA

Gore Vidal was born Eugene Louis Vidal in 1925 in West Point, New York, to Nina (Gore) and West Point aeronautics instructor and aviation pioneer Eugene Luther Vidal. The Vidals endured a rocky marriage divorcing ten years after Gore's birth. Young Gore spent much of his childhood with his blind ...

Ben-Hur Suddenly, Last Summer Visit to a Small Planet The Best Man Is Paris Burning? Gattaca

6. Michael Lewis

Writer | The Big Short

Michael Lewis was born on October 15, 1960 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for The Big Short (2015), Moneyball (2011) and The Blind Side (2009). He has been married to Tabitha Soren since October 4, 1997. They have four children.

The Blind Side Moneyball The Big Short

7. William Shakespeare

Writer | The Tragedy of Macbeth

William Shakespeare's birthdate is assumed from his baptism on April 25. His father John was the son of a farmer who became a successful tradesman; his mother Mary Arden was gentry. He studied Latin works at Stratford Grammar School, leaving at about age 15. About this time his father suffered an ...

Romeo and Juliet (1936 film) The Boys from Syracuse Henry V (1944 film) Hamlet (1948 film) Julius Caesar Kiss Me Kate Richard III (1955 film) Forbidden Planet West Side Story (1961 film) Othello The Taming of the Shrew Romeo and Juliet (1968 film) Ran Otello Henry V (1989 film) Hamlet (1990 film) Richard III (1995 film) Romeo + Juliet Hamlet (1996 film) Titus The Tempest West Side Story (2021 film) The Tragedy of Macbeth

8. Jules Verne

Writer | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905) was one of the most famous French novelists of all time. His major work is the "Extraordinary Journeys", a series of more than sixty adventure novels including "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "Around the World in 80 Days", "20.000 Leagues under the Seas" and "...

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Around the World in Eighty Days Journey to the Center the Earth

9. Hans Christian Andersen

Writer | Frozen

Andersen experienced an unhappy childhood marked by deep poverty. When he was 14 years old, he left his parents' home and fled alone to Copenhagen. Here the director of the Royal Theater, Jonas Collin, took care of the child and gave him shelter and work. With his help, the young Hans Christian ...

The Little Match Girl Ugly Duckling The Red Shoes The Little Mermaid The Little Matchgirl Frozen Frozen II

10. Charles Perrault

Writer | Cinderella

Charles Perrault was a French writer from Paris, and an early member of the Académie Française (French Academy). He was a pioneer in the then-new literary genre of the fairy tale, publishing "Stories or Tales from Past Times" (Histoires ou contes du temps passé, 1697). He combined elements from ...

Cinderella (1950 film) Sleeping Beauty The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella Puss in Boots Maleficent Cinderella (2015 film) Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Cinderella (2021 film) Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

11. Jacob Grimm

Writer | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Jacob Grimm was a German folklorist, linguist, and philologist. He and his younger brother Wilhelm Grimm (1786 - 1859) co-operated in collecting, compiling, and revising German folk tales into "Grimms' Fairy Tales" (1812). By its final revised edition in 1857, the collection included 210 unique ...

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Brave Little Tailor tom thumb The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Tangled Mirror Mirror Snow White and the Huntsman

12. Wilhelm Grimm

Writer | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859) was a German author and pioneering anthropologist. He was the younger brother of philologist Jacob Grimm.

Wilhelm was born in the town of Hanau, in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, Holy Roman Empire. His parents were Philipp Wilhelm Grimm and his wife Dorothea Zimmer, ...

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Brave Little Tailor tom thumb The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Tangled Mirror Mirror Snow White and the Huntsman

13. Mark Twain

Writer | Big River

Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Missouri in 1835, grew up in Hannibal. He was a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River. Throughout his career, Twain served as a writer, lecturer, reporter, editor, printer, and prospector. Twain took his pen name from an alert cry used on his...

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Tom Sawyer The Reader

14. L. Frank Baum

Writer | The Wizard of Oz

L. Frank Baum became a success with his 1883 production of "The Maid of Arran" in 1882. He was a dreamer, had a printing press and an amateur newspaper, "The Rose Lawn Home Journal" and published a coin and stamp collecting guide. He failed at almost everything through poor business sense. He had ...

The Wizard of Oz The Wiz Return to Oz

15. Lewis Carroll

Writer | Alice in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles L. Dodgson, author of the children's classics "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass."

Born on January 27, 1832 in Daresbury, Cheshire, England, Charles Dodgson wrote and created games as a child. At age 20 he received a ...

Alice in Wonderland (1951 film) Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)

16. Howard Pyle

Writer | The Black Shield of Falworth

Howard Pyle was born on April 5, 1853 in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. He was a writer, known for The Black Shield of Falworth (1954), World Fairy Tale (1994) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (2018). He died on November 9, 1911 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.

The Adventures of Robin Hood Robin Hood Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

17. Agatha Christie

Writer | Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie

Agatha was born as "Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller" in 1890 to Frederick Alvah Miller and Clara Boehmer. Agatha was of American and British descent, her father being American and her mother British. Her father was a relatively affluent stockbroker. Agatha received home education from early childhood ...

Witness for the Prosecution Murder on the Orient Express Death on the Nile

18. Rudyard Kipling

Writer | The Man Who Would Be King

Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, Maharashtra, India, the son of John Lockwood Kipling, a museum director and author and illustrator. This was at the height of the "British Raj", so he was brought up by Indian nurses ("ayahs"), who taught him something of the beliefs and tongues of India. He was ...

Captains Courageous Wee Willie Winkie Gunga Din Jungle Book The Jungle Book (1967 film) The Man Who Would Be King The Jungle Book (2016 film)

19. Mary Shelley

Writer | Young Frankenstein

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (née Godwin; 30 August 1797 - 1 February 1851) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus" (1818). She also edited and promoted the works of her...

The Bride of Frankenstein Young Frankenstein Frankenstein

20. Victor Hugo

Writer | Les Misérables

Although Hugo was fascinated by poems from childhood on, he spent some time at the polytechnic university of Paris until he dedicated all his work to literature. He was one of the few authors who were allowed to reach popularity during his own lifetime and one of the leaders of French romance.

After...

Les Misérables (1935 film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939 film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film) Les Misérables (2012 film)

21. Robert Louis Stevenson

Writer | Muppet Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer from Edinburgh. His most popular works include the pirate-themed adventure novel "Treasure Island" (1883), the poetry collection "A Child's Garden of Verses" (1885), the Gothic horror novella "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr ...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931 film) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941 film) Treasure Planet

22. J.K. Rowling

Writer | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Joanne Rowling was born in Yate, near Bristol, a few miles south of a town called Dursley ("Harry Potter"'s Muggle-family). Her father Peter Rowling was an engineer for Rolls Royce in Bristol at this time. Her mother, Anne, was half-French and half-Scottish. They met on a train as it left King's ...

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

23. Michael Crichton

Writer | Jurassic Park

Michael Crichton was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in Roslyn, New York. His father was a journalist and encouraged him to write and to type. Michael gave up studying English at Harvard University, having become disillusioned with the teaching standards--the final straw came when he ...

The Andromeda Strain Jurassic Park Twister The Lost World: Jurassic Park

24. H.G. Wells

Writer | The War of the Worlds

Writer, born in Bromley, Kent. He was apprenticed to a draper, tried teaching, studied biology in London, then made his mark in journalism and literature. He played a vital part in disseminating the progressive ideas which characterized the first part of the 20th-c. He achieved fame with scientific...

The Invisible Man Returns Invisible Agent The War of the Worlds The Time Machine (1960 film) The Time Machine (2002 film) War of the Worlds

25. Philip K. Dick

Writer | Blade Runner

Philip Kindred Dick was born in Chicago in December 1928, along with a twin sister, Jane. Jane died less than eight weeks later, allegedly from an allergy to mother's milk. Dick's parents split up during his childhood, and he moved with his mother to Berkeley, California, where he lived for most of...

Blade Runner Total Recall Minority Report Blade Runner 2049

26. Graham Greene

Writer | The Fallen Idol

Graham Greene was one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century and his influence on the cinema and theatre was enormous. He wrote five plays and almost all of his novels, including "Brighton Rock", "The Ministry of Fear" and "The End of the Affair", have been brought to the screen. A superb ...

The Fallen Idol The Third Man A Shocking Accident The End of the Affair The Quiet American

27. J.R.R. Tolkien

Writer | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

English writer, scholar and philologist, Tolkien's father was a bank manager in South Africa. Shortly before his father died (1896) his mother took him and his younger brother to his father's native village of Sarehole, near Birmingham, England. The landscapes and Nordic mythology of the Midlands ...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies The ABCs of Book Banning

28. Charles Dickens

Writer | Great Expectations

Charles Dickens' father was a clerk at the Naval Pay Office, and because of this the family had to move from place to place: Plymouth, London, Chatham. It was a large family and despite hard work, his father couldn't earn enough money. In 1823 he was arrested for debt and Charles had to start ...

A Tale of Two Cities Great Expectations The Pickwick Papers Oliver! Scrooge A Christmas Carol Mickey's Christmas Carol Scrooged Little Dorrit The Reader

29. Homer

Writer | Troy

Homer is the name traditionally ascribed to the brilliant Greek bard that authored, most notably, the Iliad and the Odyssey (Western civilization's first complete stories). Nothing concrete is known of his life, but he is traditionally thought to be blind and was probably born in either Chios or ...

O Brother, Where Art Thou? Troy The Reader

30. Jane Austen

Writer | Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen was born on December 16th, 1775, to the local rector, Rev. George Austen (1731-1805), and Cassandra Leigh (1739-1827). She was the seventh of eight children. She had one older sister, Cassandra. In 1783 she went to Southampton to be taught by a relative, Mrs. Cawley, but was brought ...

Pride & Prejudice (1940 film) Sense and Sensibility Emma Pride & Prejudice (2005 film) Emma.

31. Richard Matheson

Writer | Jaws 3-D

Born in New Jersey and raised in Brooklyn, Richard Burton Matheson first became a published author while still a child, when his stories and poems ran in the "Brooklyn Eagle". A lifelong reader of fantasy tales, he made his professional writing bow in 1950 when his short story "Born of Man and ...

The Godfather: Part II Somewhere in Time What Dreams May Come Real Steel

32. Elmore Leonard

Writer | Out of Sight

Elmore Leonard was born on October 11, 1925 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Out of Sight (1998), Get Shorty (1995) and Justified (2010). He was married to Christine Kent, Joan Shepard and Beverly Claire Cline. He died on August 20, 2013 in Bloomfield Township...

Jackie Brown Out of Sight 3:10 to Yuma The Tonto Woman

33. William Steig

Writer | Shrek

William H. Steig was an American author from Brooklyn, New York who was known for writing the book Shrek, which got adapted into a successful animated film franchise by DreamWorks starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas. He passed away at Boston in 2003, 2 years after ...

Doctor DeSoto Shrek Shrek 2

34. Peter Benchley

Writer | Jaws

Grandson of famed humorist and actor Robert Benchley and the son of highly respected children's books author Nathaniel Benchley, novelist Peter Benchley's book were decidedly more dramatic in their content and style than his father's, and usually centered on the world's oceans as a backdrop to his ...

Jaws The Deep The Reader

35. Michael Chabon

Writer | John Carter

Michael Chabon was born on May 24, 1963 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for John Carter (2012), Star Trek: Picard (2020) and Wonder Boys (2000). He has been married to Ayelet Waldman since 1993. They have four children. He was previously married to ...

Wonder Boys Spider-Man 2 Fantastic Mr. Fox Moonrise Kingdom

36. Stan Lee

Producer | Spider-Man: Homecoming

Stan Lee was an American comic-book writer, editor, and publisher, who was executive vice president and publisher of Marvel Comics.

Stan was born in New York City, to Celia (Solomon) and Jack Lieber, a dress cutter. His parents were Romanian Jewish immigrants. Lee co-created Spider-Man, the Hulk, ...

Spider-Man Spider-Man 2 Iron Man The Messenger Iron Man 2 The Avengers Iron Man 3 Captain America: The Winter Soldier X-Men: Days of Future Past Guardians of the Galaxy Big Hero 6 Doctor Strange Logan Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Black Panther Avengers: Infinty War Ralph Breaks the Internet Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Avengers: Endgame Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Spider-Man: No Way Home Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

37. Bob Kane

Writer | The Batman

Bob Kane was an American comic book writer and artist of Jewish descent, most famous for co-creating Batman and several members of Batman's supporting cast. Kane was inducted into the comic book industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1994 and into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1996.

Kane...

Batman Batman Returns Batman Forever Batman Begins The Dark Knight Suicide Squad Joker Zack Snyder's Justice League The Batman

38. Neil Simon

Writer | The Odd Couple

Neil Simon was born on July 4, 1927 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The Odd Couple (1968), Murder by Death (1976) and The Goodbye Girl (1977). He was married to Elaine Joyce, Diane Lander, Marsha Mason and Joan Baim. He died on August 26, 2018 in ...

Come Blow Your Horn Barefoot in the Park The Odd Couple Sweet Charity The Heartbreak Kid The Sunshine Boys The Goodbye Girl Chapter Two Only When I Laugh

39. Charles Portis

Writer | True Grit

Charles Portis was born on December 28, 1933 in El Dorado, Arkansas, USA. He was a writer, known for True Grit (2010), True Grit (1969) and Gringos. He died on February 17, 2020 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.

True Grit (1969 film) True Grit (2010 film)

40. John le Carré

Writer | The Constant Gardener

John le Carré was born in Poole, Dorset in England on 19 October, 1931. He went to Sherborne School and, later, studied German literature for one year at University of Bern. Later, he went to Lincoln College, Oxford and graduated in Modern Languages. From 1956 to 1958, he taught at Eton and from ...

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold The Constant Gardener Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

41. F. Scott Fitzgerald

Writer | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

"There are no second acts in American lives," wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald, who himself went from being the high priest of the Jazz Age to a down-and-out alcoholic within the space of 20 years, but not before giving the world several literary masterpieces, the most famous of which is "The Great Gatsby...

Three Comrades Marie Antoinette Tender is the Night The Great Gatsby (1974 film) The Last Tycoon The Curious Case of Benjamin Button The Great Gatsby (2013 film)

42. Tom Perrotta

Writer | The Leftovers

Tom Perrotta was born on August 13, 1961 in Garwood, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Leftovers (2014), Little Children (2006) and Mrs. Fletcher (2019). He has been married to Mary Granfield since September 14, 1991. They have two children.

Election Little Children

43. Dennis Lehane

Producer | The Drop

Dennis Lehane was born on August 4, 1965 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Drop (2014), Mystic River (2003) and Live by Night (2016). He was previously married to Dr. Angela Mililani (Lieb) Bernardo and Sheila Fort Lawn.

Mystic River Gone Baby Gone

44. Jerry Siegel

Writer | Superman

Jerry Siegel was born in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1931, he met and befriended his future partner, Joe Shuster, when the latter moved from his birthplace in Canada. Siegel and Shuster were both avid science fiction fans, publishing a fanzine in the mid-1920s. It was during this period that they read ...

Superman (animated short film) Superman Superman Returns Zack Snyder's Justice League

45. Joe Shuster

Writer | Superman

Joe Shuster was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At age 9 he and his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he met and befriended his future partner Jerome "Jerry" Siegel. Siegel and Shuster were both avid science fiction fans, publishing a fanzine in the mid-1920s. It was during this period that ...

Superman (animated short film) Superman Superman Returns Zack Snyder's Justice League

46. Arthur Conan Doyle

Writer | Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer of Irish descent, considered a major figure in crime fiction. His most famous series of works consisted of the "Sherlock Holmes" stories (1887-1927), consisting of four novels and 56 short stories. His other notable series were the "Professor Challenger" ...

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution Young Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes

47. Gene Roddenberry

Writer | Star Trek

While in junior high school, he became interested in science fiction, and years later while reading a copy of 'Astounding Stories' when he was working as an airline pilot, he decided to give it up and become a writer. He moved West and joined the Los Angeles police force to gain experience that ...

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Star Trek: First Contact Star Trek Star Trek Into Darkness Star Trek Beyond

48. Isaac Asimov

Writer | I, Robot

Isaac Asimov was born Isaak Judah Ozimov, on January 2, 1920, in Petrovichi shtetl, near Smolensk, Russia. He was the oldest of three children. His father, named Judah Ozimov, and his mother, named Anna Rachel Ozimov (nee Berman), were Orthodox Jews. Ozimov family were millers (the name Ozimov ...

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Bicentennial Man I, Robot

49. James Jones

Writer | The Thin Red Line

James Jones was born on November 6, 1921 in Robinson, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Thin Red Line (1998), From Here to Eternity (1953) and The Longest Day (1962). He was married to Gloria Jones. He died on May 9, 1977 in Southampton, New York, USA.

From Here to Eternity The Thin Red Line

50. Tom Clancy

Writer | The Hunt for Red October

Tom Clancy became one of the best-selling writers of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries, starting with the publication of his 1984 thriller, The Hunt for Red October (1990). Born in Baltimore to a U.S. Post Office employee and his wife on April 12, 1947, Clancy graduated from Loyola Blakefield,...

The Hunt for Red October Clear and Present Danger

51. Mike Mignola

Writer | Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Mike Mignola is an American comic book writer and author who is best known for creating Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. Hellboy was adapted into five films, a board game and three video games with Ron Perlman being the most frequent actor for Hellboy. Mignola also provided character designs for ...

Dracula Hellboy II: The Golden Army Brave The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

52. Mark Millar

Writer | Kingsman: The Secret Service

Mark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Jupiter's Legacy, Kick-Ass, Kingsman, The Magic Order, Wanted, Old Man Logan, Marvel Civil War and Superman: Red Son.

He is also President of Netflix's Millarworld Division in Los Angeles and serves as an executive producer on all his ...

7:35 in the Morning Wanted The Avengers Logan Avengers: Endgame

53. Maxwell Anderson

Writer | All Quiet on the Western Front

James Maxwell Anderson was born in Atlantic, Pennsylvania, on December 15, 1888 to William Lincoln Anderson and Charlotte Perrimela (Stephenson) Anderson. The second child born to the couple, Anderson spent his formative years on his maternal grandmother's farm in Atlantic before the family moved ...

All the Quiet on the Western Front (1930 film) The Guardsman Winterset The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex Knickerbocker Holiday Key Largo Joan of Arc The Bad Seed Vertigo Ben-Hur Anne of the Thousand Days

54. Dale Wasserman

Writer | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Dale Wasserman was born on November 2, 1914 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), The DuPont Show of the Month (1957) and The Vikings (1958). He was married to Martha Nelly Garza and Ramsay Ames. He died on December 21, 2008 ...

Man of La Mancha One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

55. John Irving

Writer | The Cider House Rules

John Irving was born on March 2, 1942 in Exeter, New Hampshire, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for The Cider House Rules (1999), The Door in the Floor (2004) and The World According to Garp (1982). He has been married to Janet Turnbull since 1987. They have one child. He was previously ...

The World According to Garp Streetwise The Cider House Rules

56. Sebastian Junger

Director | Restrepo

Sebastian Junger was born on January 17, 1962 in Belmont, Massachusetts, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Restrepo (2010), The Perfect Storm (2000) and Korengal (2014). He has been married to Daniela since 2002.

The Perfect Storm Restrepo

57. Edgar Rice Burroughs

Writer | John Carter

His father had been a major in the Union army during the Civil War. Edgar Rice Burroughs attended the Brown School then, due to a diphtheria epidemic, Miss Coolie's Maplehurst School for Girls, then the Harvard School, Phillips Andover and the Michigan Military Academy. He was a mediocre student ...

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Tarzan

58. Arthur C. Clarke

Writer | 2001: A Space Odyssey

Arthur C. Clarke was born in the seaside town of Minehead, Somerset, England in December 16, 1917. In 1936 he moved to London, where he joined the British Interplanetary Society. There he started to experiment with astronautic material in the BIS, write the BIS Bulletin and science fiction. During ...

2001: A Space Odyssey 2010 First Man

59. Johnston McCulley

Writer | The Mask of Zorro

Johnston McCulley was born on February 2, 1883 in Ottawa, Illinois, USA. He was a writer, known for The Mask of Zorro (1998), The Legend of Zorro (2005) and The Mark of Zorro (1920). He died on November 23, 1958 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

The Mark of Zorro The Mask of Zorro

60. Alexandre Dumas

Writer | The Count of Monte Cristo

His paternal grandparents were Marie Cessete Dumas (a Haitian slave) and Marquis Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie. Antoine disapproved of their son, Thomas-Alexandre, joining the French army under the "Davy de la Pailleterie" name, so Thomas-Alexandre used his mother's surname instead. He became a ...

The Three Musketeers The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge Queen Margot

61. Laura Hillenbrand

Writer | Seabiscuit

Laura Hillenbrand was born on May 15, 1967 in Fairfax, Virginia, USA. She is a writer and actress, known for Seabiscuit (2003), Unbroken (2014) and Unbroken: Path to Redemption (2018).

Seabiscuit Unbroken

62. Ken Kesey

Writer | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Kesey burst into the literary scene with the "Cuckoo's Nest" in 1962 which he wrote from his experiences working at a veterans hospital. During this period, he volunteered for the testing on the drug LSD. After writing his second novel, "Sometimes A Great Notion," he bought an old school bus dubbed...

Sometimes a Great Notion One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

63. Chris Van Allsburg

Writer | Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Chris Van Allsburg was born on June 18, 1949 in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), Jumanji (1995) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). He has been married to Lisa Van Allsburg since 1974. They have two children.

The Little Mermaid The Polar Express

64. Pierre Boulle

Writer | The Bridge on the River Kwai

Pierre Boulle was a French novelist best known for two works, The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952) and Planet of the Apes (1963), that were both made into award-winning films.

He was an engineer serving as a secret agent with the Free French in Singapore, when he was captured and subjected to two ...

The Bridge on the River Kwai Planet of the Apes Rise of the Planet of the Apes Dawn of the Planet of the Apes War for the Planet of the Apes

65. John Grisham

Writer | Runaway Jury

A graduate of Mississippi State University and Ole Miss Law School, John Grisham obtained his law degree in 1981 and practiced law for about 10 years, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. He was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1983 and served until...

The Firm The Client

66. J.G. Ballard

Writer | Empire of the Sun

J.G. Ballard was born on November 15, 1930 in Shanghai, China. He was a writer and actor, known for Empire of the Sun (1987), High-Rise (2015) and Crash (1996). He was married to Helen Mary Matthews. He died on April 19, 2009 in London, England, UK.

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth Empire of the Sun

67. Truman Capote

Actor | Murder by Death

Truman Capote was born on September 30, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Murder by Death (1976), The Innocents (1961) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). He died on August 25, 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Indiscretion of an American Wife Breakfast at Tiffany's In Cold Blood Annie Hall

68. Oscar Wilde

Writer | The Picture of Dorian Gray

A gifted poet, playwright and wit, Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in 19th-century England. He was illustrious for preaching the importance of style in life and art, and of attacking Victorian narrow-mindedness.

Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1854. He studied at Trinity College in Dublin before ...

The Picture of Dorian Gray The Selfish Giant

69. Louisa May Alcott

Writer | Little Women

Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29, 1832 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, USA. She was a writer, known for Little Women (2019), Little Women (1994) and An Old-Fashioned Girl (1949). She died on March 6, 1888 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Little Women (1933 film) Little Women (1949 film) Little Women (1994 film) Little Women (2019 film)

70. E.B. White

Writer | Charlotte's Web

E.B. White was born on July 11, 1899 in Mount Vernon, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Charlotte's Web (2006), Stuart Little (1999) and Stuart Little 2 (2002). He was married to Katharine Sergeant Angell. He died on October 1, 1985 in North Brooklin, Maine, USA.

The Family That Dwelt Apart Stuart Little

71. Robert A. Heinlein

Writer | Starship Troopers

At the age of 17, Heinlein graduated from Central High School in Kansas City, Missouri. He spent one year at the University of Missouri before he entered the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, from which he graduated as the 20th best among the 243 cadets. He spent five years in the Pacific ...

Destination Moon Starship Troopers

72. Roddy Doyle

Writer | The Commitments

Roddy Doyle was born in 1958 in Dublin, Ireland. He is a writer and producer, known for The Commitments (1991), Family (1994) and Rosie (2018). He is married to Belinda. They have three children.

The Commitments New Boy

73. James Ellroy

Writer | L.A. Confidential

James Ellroy was born on March 4, 1948 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for L.A. Confidential (1997), Street Kings (2008) and The Black Dahlia (2006).

L.A. Confidential Wonder Boys The Black Dahlia

74. Russell Banks

Writer | The Sweet Hereafter

Russell Banks was born on March 28, 1940 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Affliction (1997) and American Darling. He was married to Chase Twichell, Kathy Walton, Mary Gunst and Darlene Bennett. He died on January 7, 2023 in Saratoga ...

The Sweet Hereafter Affliction

75. Shel Silverstein

Soundtrack | Almost Famous

Shel Silverstein was born on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and composer, known for Almost Famous (2000), Border (2018) and Thelma & Louise (1991). He died on May 10, 1999 in Key West, Florida, USA.

Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? Coal Miner's Daughter Postcards from the Edge Thelma & Louise Almost Famous Border

76. Washington Irving

Writer | Sleepy Hollow

Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 - November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820), both of which appear in his ...

Rip Van Winkle Sleepy Hallow

77. Jamie Hewlett

Writer | Tank Girl

Jamie Hewlett was born on April 3, 1968 in England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Tank Girl (1995), Cloverfield (2008) and Wasabi (2001). He has been married to Emma de Caunes since September 10, 2011.

The Big Short The White Helmets Trolls The White Tiger Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

78. A.A. Milne

Writer | Christopher Robin

Alan Alexander Milne (signing with the initials A. A. ) was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and playwright from London. He is primarily remembered for creating Winnie-the-Pooh and his supporting characters. He set their stories in the "Hundred Acre Wood", a fictionalized version of ...

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too Christopher Robin

79. Chuck Hogan

Writer | The Town

Chuck Hogan is known for The Town (2010), 13 Hours (2016) and The Strain (2014).

The Town 13 Hours

80. Philippe Djian

Writer | Elle

Philippe Djian was born on June 3, 1949 in Paris, France. He is a writer and composer, known for Elle (2016), Betty Blue (1986) and Bleu comme l'enfer (1986). He has been married to Djian Année since 1993. They have three children.

Betty Blue Elle

81. James Baldwin

Writer | I Am Not Your Negro

James Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924 in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for I Am Not Your Negro (2016), If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) and American Playhouse (1980). He died on December 1, 1987 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, France.

King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis The Statue of Liberty What Happened, Miss Simone? I Am Not Your Negro If Beale Street Could Talk The ABCs of Book Banning

82. Joan Didion

Writer | A Star Is Born

Joan Didion was born on December 5, 1934 in Sacramento, California, USA. She was a writer, known for A Star Is Born (2018), A Star Is Born (1976) and Up Close & Personal (1996). She was married to John Gregory Dunne. She died on December 23, 2021 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

A Star Is Born (1976 film) Up Close & Personal A Star Is Born (2018 film)

83. P.L. Travers

Writer | Mary Poppins

P.L. Travers was born on August 9, 1899 in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. She was a writer, known for Mary Poppins (1964), Mary Poppins Returns (2018) and Studio One (1948). She died on April 23, 1996 in Chelsea, London, England, UK.

Marry Poppins Marry Poppins Returns

84. Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont

Writer | La Belle et la Bête

Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont was born on April 26, 1711 in Rouen, France. Jeanne-Marie Leprince was a writer, known for Beauty and the Beast (1946), Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958) and Beauty and the Beast (2014). Jeanne-Marie Leprince died on September 8, 1780 in Chavanod, Haute-Savoie, ...

Beauty and the Beast (1991 film) Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)

85. Dodie Smith

Writer | Cruella

Born Dorothy Gladys Smith in Lancashire, England, Dodie Smith was raised in Manchester (her memoir is titled "A Childhood in Manchester"). She was just an infant when her father died, and she grew up fatherless until age 14, when her mother remarried and the family moved to London. There she ...

The Uninvited To Each His Own 102 Dalmatians Cruella

86. Patricia Highsmith

Writer | The Talented Mr. Ripley

Patricia Highsmith was born on January 19, 1921 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. She was a writer, known for The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Strangers on a Train (1951) and The Two Faces of January (2014). She died on February 4, 1995 in Locarno, Switzerland.

Strangers on a Train The Talented Mr. Ripley Carol

87. Anthony Burgess

Writer | A Clockwork Orange

Anthony Burgess was born on February 25, 1917 in Manchester, England, UK. He was a writer, known for A Clockwork Orange (1971), Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) and Vinyl (1965). He was married to Liana Burgess and Llewela Isherwood Jones. He died on November 22, 1993 in London, England, UK.

A Clockwork Orange Quest for Fire Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 film)

88. William Joyce

Producer | Epic

William Joyce was born on December 11, 1957 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Epic (2013), The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011) and Rolie Polie Olie (1998).

Toy Story A Bug's Life The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

89. Michel Gagné

Visual_effects | The Iron Giant

Michel Gagné was born in Québec, Canada. He studied animation at Sheridan College School of Visual Arts in Ontario, Canada and in 1985, began a highly successful artistic career.

Renowned for his unique vision, Michel has lent his talent to several animation and entertainment companies, such as Don ...

An American Tail Quest for Camelot The Incredibles Ratatouille Brave Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

90. Ken Mitchroney

Animation_department | The Lego Movie

Ken Mitchroney was born on November 28, 1958 in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA. He is a director, known for The Lego Movie (2014), Free Birds (2013) and Monsters, Inc. (2001). He has been married to Beth Mitchroney since 1984.

Toy Story 2 Monsters, Inc. Shrek 2 The Lego Movie

91. Guillaume Laurant

Writer | Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain

Guillaume Laurant was born on November 22, 1961 in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, France. He is a writer and actor, known for Amélie (2001), A Very Long Engagement (2004) and I Lost My Body (2019). He was previously married to Sandrine Bonnaire.

Amélie A Very Long Engagement I Lost My Body

92. Jean 'Moebius' Giraud

Art_department | Le Cinquième Élément

Jean Giraud had one of the most interesting double lives in comics history. Under his own name, he co-created the legendary western comic 'Blueberry' (1963-2012) with writer Jean-Michel Charlier. He also used the shortened signature of "Gir" for this series. This cowboy series was noted for its ...

Alien TRON Willow The Abyss The Fifth Element

93. T.H. White

Writer | The Sword in the Stone

T. H. White was born in India, where his father was a member of the Indian Civil Service, and was educated at Cheltenham and Queen's College, Cambridge. He was an English master at Stowe School from 1930 to 1936, and while there, completed his first real critical success, England Have My Bones, ...

The Sword in the Stone Camelot

94. Darryl Ponicsan

Writer | Last Flag Flying

Darryl Ponicsan was born on May 26, 1938 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Last Flag Flying (2017), School Ties (1992) and The Last Detail (1973).

The Last Detail Cinderella Liberty

95. Henry James

Writer | What Maisie Knew

Henry James was born 15 April 1843, to a wealthy family. He was born in New York, New York USA. His parents were Henry James Sr. and Mary Robertson Walsh; He had one brother William James (January 11 1842-August 26 1910) and one sister Alice James. When Henry James was a young boy he would enjoy ...

Berkeley Square The Heiress Daisy Miller The Europeans The Bostonians The Portrait of a Lady The Wings of the Dove

96. Alex Haley

Writer | Malcolm X

Alex Haley served in the United States Coast Guard during the Second World War, Korean Conflict, and Cold War, and was the first African-American Coast Guardsman in the modern era to reach the rank of Chief Petty Officer. This paved the way for many other black men and women to rise into the senior...

Malcolm X (1972 film) Malcolm X (1992 film) When We Were Kings

97. Ira Levin

Writer | Rosemary's Baby

Author, playwright and composer Ira Levin decided on a career of a writer at the age of 15. Educated at the elite Horace Mann school, he went on to two years at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, before transferring to New York University, where he majored in philosophy and English. He earned ...

Rosemary's Baby The Boys from Brazil

98. William Peter Blatty

Writer | The Exorcist

William Peter Blatty was born on January 7, 1928 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Exorcist (1973), The Exorcist III (1990) and The Ninth Configuration (1980). He was married to Julie Alicia Witbrodt, Linda Blatty, Elizabeth Gilman and Mary Margaret Rigard. ...

Darling Lili The Exorcist

99. Robert Lawson

Writer | Ferdinand

Robert Lawson was born on October 4, 1892 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for Ferdinand (2017), The Magical World of Disney (1954) and Hidden Pages (1954). He was married to Marie Abrams. He died on May 26, 1957 in Westport, Connecticut, USA.

Ferdinand the Bull Ben and Me Ferdinand

100. Carlo Collodi

Writer | Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Carlo Collodi was born on November 24, 1826 in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany [now Tuscany, Italy]. He was a writer, known for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022), Pinocchio (1940) and Pinocchio (2022). He died on October 26, 1890 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.

Pinocchio (1940 film) Pinocchio (2019 film) Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio