Johnston McCulley

Born in Ottawa, Illinois, on February 2, 1883, Johnston McCulley became a prolific American writer and screenwriter. He is most closely linked with Zorro, the swashbuckling hero he introduced in the 1919 story The Curse of Capistrano, a character who went on to have a long life in books, film, and television.

McCulley wrote extensively for popular magazines and created other adventure and mystery characters as well, including the Black Star. His work fit neatly into the world of early 20th-century pulp fiction: quick, vivid, and full of secret identities, danger, and dramatic twists.

He died in Los Angeles, California, on November 23, 1958. Even now, he is remembered mainly for giving the world one of its most enduring fictional heroes.