Skip to content
Elmore Leonard

File:Elmore_Leonard.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ336519· pop 46· linked from 487 articles

Elmore Leonard

Sign in to save

Also known as Dutch Leonard

American novelist and screenwriter (1925–2013)

OverviewAI-generated

Elmore John Leonard Jr. (1925–2013) was an American screenwriter, novelist, and film producer. Born in New Orleans, he served in the United States Navy during World War II and later attended the University of Detroit Mercy. A Catholic, he was influenced by Ernest Hemingway. His notable works include *Rum Punch*, *Naked Came the Manatee*, and *The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time*.

Leonard received several awards, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, the Hammett Prize, and the Cartier Diamond Dagger. He also won the Best Crime Novel in Swedish Translation award. He was nominated for the Hammett Prize. He died of a stroke in Detroit.

Synthesized by Vinony from 42 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Crossref, Last.fm, TMDb, Wikiquote, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born
11 October 1925
Died
20 August 2013
Works
165

Top works

  • McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales
  • Friḳi Diḳi
  • Maḳsimum Bob
  • Naked Came the Manatee
  • The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Writing · New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925 – August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.

Known for

  • Elmore Leonard: "But Don't Try to Write" — Self (archive footage)2021
  • Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend — Self (archive footage)2021
  • The Culture Show — Self2004
  • Jackie Brown: How It Went Down — Self2002
  • Inside 'Out of Sight' — Self1998

via TMDB

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person
Gender
Male
Origin
United States
Active from
1925
Active to
2013
classicalcomposerconductorroyal

Discography

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
363
Total plays
10,088

<a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Elmore+Leonard">Read more on Last.fm</a>

via Last.fm · Elmore Leonard

Quotes

  • For a long time I've been walking down life's road with my two pals, Bad Luck and Bad Choices. Fortunately I'm a big believer in new beginnings, new friends, and running from my problems. So one day I decided to head for the island. Aloha, my name is Jack.
  • If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
  • I leave out the parts that people skip.
  • What do you tell a man with two black eyes? Nothing, he's already been told twice.
  • My grandson, Max, who is an all state lacrosse player, once gave me some lacrosse advice: A limp pass is like a limp dick; it doesn't get the job done. I think the same can be said about limp writing.
  • After 58 years you'd think writing would get easier. It doesn't. If you're lucky, you become harder to please. That's all right, it's still a pleasure.

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Key facts

Born
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , ( 1925-10-11 ) October 11, 1925, New Orleans , Louisiana, U.S.
Died
August 20, 2013 (2013-08-20) (aged 87), Bloomfield Hills, Michigan , U.S.
Occupation
Writer
Alma mater
University of Detroit
Genre
Pulp fiction Westerns Crime fiction
Spouse
Beverly Claire Cline ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1949 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1977 ) ​ Joan Shepard ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1979 ; died 1993 ) ​ Christine Kent ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1993 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 2012 ) ​
Children
5, including Peter
Relatives
Megan Freels Johnston (granddaughter)
Allegiance
United States
Branch
United States Navy
Service years
1943–1946
Rank
Petty officer third class
Unit
Seabees
Conflicts
World War II

via Wikipedia infobox

~15 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925 – August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story author and screenwriter. He was, according to British journalist Anthony Lane, "hailed as one of the best crime writers in the land". His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures. Among his best-known works are Hombre, Swag, City Primeval, LaBrava, Glitz, Freaky Deaky, Get Shorty, Rum Punch, Out of Sight and Tishomingo Blues.

Leonard's short story "Three-Ten to Yuma" was adapted as the film 3:10 to Yuma, which was remade in 2007. Rum Punch was adapted as the Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown (1997). Steven Soderbergh adapted Out of Sight in 1998 into a film of the same name. Get Shorty was adapted into an eponymous film in 1995 and in 2017 it was adapted into a television series of the same name. His writings were also the basis for The Tall T, as well as the FX television series Justified and Justified: City Primeval. Among other honors, he won the 2009 Pen Lifetime Award and the 2012 Medal For Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Elmore Leonard” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (2)