Edgar Wallace

Edgar Wallace (Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace) was born in Greenwich, England, on April 1, 1875. Raised in a working-class foster family, he left school at 12 and held a series of jobs before joining the army and becoming a journalist. He later worked as a war correspondent for Reuters and the Daily Mail during the Boer War, experiences that helped shape his energetic storytelling.

Wallace began writing fiction to escape financial hardship and found success with The Four Just Men (1905) and Sanders of the River (1911). He became one of Britain’s most prolific writers, producing more than 170 novels, hundreds of short stories, plays, journalism, and screenplays. His popular series included the J. G. Reeder detective stories, while more than 160 films were eventually adapted from his work.

In 1931, Wallace moved to Hollywood and worked as a screenwriter for RKO. He was involved in the early writing of King Kong but died suddenly in Beverly Hills on February 10, 1932, before the film was completed. His rapid-fire plots and strong sense of suspense helped make him one of the most widely read thriller writers of the early twentieth century.