Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard, born in 1925, American writer, best known for his mystery and suspense novels. His books, including LaBrava (1983) and Get Shorty (1990), are noted for their seedy, underworld characters and realistic, fast-paced dialogue. Several have been adapted as motion pictures.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Leonard lived in a number of cities before his family settled in Detroit, Michigan, in 1935. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and graduated from the University of Detroit in 1950 with majors in English and philosophy.

Leonard worked in advertising in Detroit from 1949 to 1961. In his spare time he devoted himself to writing Westerns—adventure tales set in the American West during the 19th century. His first novel, The Bounty Hunters, was published in 1953. In 1961 Leonard quit his advertising job to devote more time to writing.

Leonard’s first novel with a contemporary setting, The Big Bounce (1969), was rejected by 84 different publishers before it was finally published. However, Leonard’s subsequent novels, including Fifty-Two Pickup (1974), Swag (1976), and Cat Chaser (1982), earned him a devoted following. LaBrava, about an ex-Secret Service agent who becomes a photographer and gets involved with a motion-picture star, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award, a prestigious award given by the Mystery Writers of America. Leonard’s popular 1985 novel Glitz, set in the gambling center of Atlantic City, New Jersey, established him as a best-selling author.

Leonard gained more fame in the 1990s, in part because of film adaptations of his works. Get Shorty follows a Florida mobster named Chili Palmer who travels to Los Angeles, California, and becomes involved in the movie business. John Travolta played Palmer in the 1995 film version. In 1997 Quentin Tarantino adapted Leonard’s Rum Punch (1992) as the movie Jackie Brown. Leonard’s other books include the historical-fiction novel Cuba Libre (1998), which is set in Cuba during the Spanish-American War (1898), and The Tonto Woman and Other Western Stories (1998), a collection of his earlier short-story Westerns. Be Cool (1999) follows Chili Palmer as he moves from the film industry to the rock music industry. Leonard has won several awards during his career, including the 1992 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, honoring his lifetime achievement.