Leon Uris

Leon Marcus Uris (August 3, 1924 – June 21, 2003) was an American author and screenwriter, known for his historical novels that deal with the conflicts of the 20th century. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jewish parents, Wolf William and Anne Uris, he served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II (1942–1945). His literary career began with the novel Battle Cry (1953), based on his wartime experiences, which was adapted into a film in 1955.

His best-known work, Exodus (1958), is an international bestseller about the founding of Israel, the result of two years of research and interviews. The novel was adapted into a film in 1960, starring Paul Newman. They were followed by Mila 18 (1961) about an uprising in the Warsaw ghetto, Armageddon (1963) about post-war Berlin, Topaz (1967), a spy novel adapted from Hitchcock in 1969, and Trinity (1976), a saga about Irish nationalism. QB VII (1970) deals with a libel trial inspired by the real events of Exodus. Later works include The Haj (1984), about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and Mitla Pass (1988), a partly autobiographical novel. With his third wife, photographer Jill Peabody, he collaborated on the book Ireland: A Terrible Beauty (1975).

Uris's novels, translated into numerous languages, were commercially successful, but critics often described them as relying more on historical facts than on literary subtlety. He died of kidney failure in 2003 on Shelter Island, New York, leaving a significant mark on historical fiction.