Remembering Michael Crichton

Posted by Movie_Maven

November 6, 2008 |

Michael Crichton, author and screenwriter extraordinnaire died Tuesday at the age of 66 after a private battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Sherri Alexander and daughter, Taylor (with ex-wife Anne-Marie Martin.)

Crichton was born in Chicago, IL, on Oct. 23, 1942, and raised in Roslyn, NY, by his journalist father who urged him to write. After giving up English at Harvard, he attended Harvard Medical School after taking a year off, where he began writing novels - typically cautionary tales about technology. He left medical school and moved to Hollywood, CA where he directed his first film based on one of his novels, Westworld (1973). Incidentally, a remake of Westworld has just been announced based upon his book.

Perhaps most famous for Jurassic Park (for which he penned the novel and co-wrote the screenplay), Crichton was also the mastermind behind Jurassic Park II, The Andromeda Strain, The Terminal Man, Rising Sun, Disclosure, Congo, Sphere, and The 13th Warrior (novels turned into films). He co-wrote the screenplay for Twister, and also created and produced the television hit ER.