Ira Levin Biography

Fast Facts

• Earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association in 1996 and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2003
• Served in the U․S․ Army from 1953 to 1955 as a member of the Signal Corps
• Won two Edgar Allan Poe Awards, one for Best First Novel for "A Kiss Before Dying" in 1954 and one for Best Play for "Deathtrap" in 1980
• Attended Drake University and graduated from New York University with a degree Philosophy and English in 1950
• A screenplay he wrote for a contest at CBS during college later became his first successfully sold work when NBC aired it as "Leda's Portrait" on their "Lights Out" series in 1951
• Published his first novel, "A Kiss Before Dying," in 1953, and it has since been adapted for the screen twice
• Quote: "I feel guilty that 'Rosemary's Baby' led to 'The Exorcist,' 'The Omen․'․․․that the [the generation's belief in Satan] would not be as strong if there hadn't been so many of these books․ Of course, I didn't send back any of the royalty checks․"
• Frequently combined genres like science fiction, Gothic horror, and mystery in his novels and many critics praised him as a master of pace and suspense
• Although he wrote only seven novels in his 40-year career, nearly all of them were made into films and together sold tens of millions of copies
• Best known as a novelist and playwright who wrote the bestselling novels "Rosemary's Baby," "The Stepford Wives," and "The Boys From Brazil․"
• Some of his other novels include "A Kiss Before Dying," "This Perfect Day," and "Sliver․"