Thomas Harris(I)
- Writer
Thomas Harris was born in 1940 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. He was
raised in the town of Rich where his father worked as a farmer. He
earned his bachelor's degree in English from Baylor University in Texas
in 1964. While attending school, he also worked for the local
newspaper.
After graduating, Harris traveled Europe for a time. Back in the USA,
he worked for the Associated Press out of New York. Not coincidentally,
his duties for the press included covering murders and other crimes.
This helped fuel his imagination in the fictional world, and he began
to write macabre stories for magazines that began to show his attention
for detail that would make his subsequent novels so popular.
In 1975, he wrote his first novel, Black Sunday, about a diabolical
plot to kill thousands with a blimp during the Superbowl. Perhaps ahead
of his time, the terrorism of 11 September, 2001, led to many stadiums
being turned into no-fly zones due to fears of a similar attack. The
book was turned into a film -- Black Sunday (1977) -- a very short two years after
being published. Following its success, he devoted his career entirely
to fictional novelization.
In 1981, Harris wrote his first book in the Hannibal Lecter trilogy,
Red Dragon. Though the character of Lecter did not become famous (or
infamous, as the case may be) for another decade, the book did spark a
loosely-based movie, Manhunter (1986), which was quickly dismissed at first,
grossing back only about half its cost. Then, in 1988, Harris wrote
another novel about the character Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs.
This time, he gave the character more of a presence, although he still
did not dominate the book. When this was turned into a film three years
later as The Silence of the Lambs (1991), it became an instant hit and swept the "Big 5" at the
Academy Awards, becoming only the third movie to do so.
After the success of The Silence of the Lambs in both movie and book
form, there became a growing demand among fans - and film producer
Dino De Laurentiis -- for there to be another chapter in the Hannibal Lector
series. It took 11 years between novels, but Harris finally delivered
again in 1999 with the best-selling novel Hannibal. It was made into a
film two years later in Hannibal (2001) and, although dismissed by some critics
and fans for straying from the book in parts (as well as Jodie Foster's
non-appearance as Agent Clarisse Starling), it set opening records in
box office sales for an R-rated film.
Because of the large box office take and the fact that Anthony Hopkins, who won
an Oscar for his role in the second Lecter film, did not play Lecter in
Manhunter (1986), De Laurentis and Harris came to terms to make a second version
of the first book, this time properly titled Red Dragon (2002). This film version
was more in keeping with the book than the first film was.
Unable to escape from being known as the man who created Lecter, Harris
again agreed to make not only another novel on the character, but to
write the material for the film adaption as well. The current working
title is Behind the Mask. As of 2005, Harris resides in Miami, Florida,
and Sag Harbor, New York, USA.
raised in the town of Rich where his father worked as a farmer. He
earned his bachelor's degree in English from Baylor University in Texas
in 1964. While attending school, he also worked for the local
newspaper.
After graduating, Harris traveled Europe for a time. Back in the USA,
he worked for the Associated Press out of New York. Not coincidentally,
his duties for the press included covering murders and other crimes.
This helped fuel his imagination in the fictional world, and he began
to write macabre stories for magazines that began to show his attention
for detail that would make his subsequent novels so popular.
In 1975, he wrote his first novel, Black Sunday, about a diabolical
plot to kill thousands with a blimp during the Superbowl. Perhaps ahead
of his time, the terrorism of 11 September, 2001, led to many stadiums
being turned into no-fly zones due to fears of a similar attack. The
book was turned into a film -- Black Sunday (1977) -- a very short two years after
being published. Following its success, he devoted his career entirely
to fictional novelization.
In 1981, Harris wrote his first book in the Hannibal Lecter trilogy,
Red Dragon. Though the character of Lecter did not become famous (or
infamous, as the case may be) for another decade, the book did spark a
loosely-based movie, Manhunter (1986), which was quickly dismissed at first,
grossing back only about half its cost. Then, in 1988, Harris wrote
another novel about the character Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs.
This time, he gave the character more of a presence, although he still
did not dominate the book. When this was turned into a film three years
later as The Silence of the Lambs (1991), it became an instant hit and swept the "Big 5" at the
Academy Awards, becoming only the third movie to do so.
After the success of The Silence of the Lambs in both movie and book
form, there became a growing demand among fans - and film producer
Dino De Laurentiis -- for there to be another chapter in the Hannibal Lector
series. It took 11 years between novels, but Harris finally delivered
again in 1999 with the best-selling novel Hannibal. It was made into a
film two years later in Hannibal (2001) and, although dismissed by some critics
and fans for straying from the book in parts (as well as Jodie Foster's
non-appearance as Agent Clarisse Starling), it set opening records in
box office sales for an R-rated film.
Because of the large box office take and the fact that Anthony Hopkins, who won
an Oscar for his role in the second Lecter film, did not play Lecter in
Manhunter (1986), De Laurentis and Harris came to terms to make a second version
of the first book, this time properly titled Red Dragon (2002). This film version
was more in keeping with the book than the first film was.
Unable to escape from being known as the man who created Lecter, Harris
again agreed to make not only another novel on the character, but to
write the material for the film adaption as well. The current working
title is Behind the Mask. As of 2005, Harris resides in Miami, Florida,
and Sag Harbor, New York, USA.