Irving Wallace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Irving Wallace
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Wallace in 1972
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| Born | March 19, 1916 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 29, 1990 (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Period | 1955–1990 |
| Genre | Fiction, historical |
| Notable works | The Fabulous Originals (1955) The Sins of Philip Fleming (1959) |
| Spouse | Sylvia Kahn (1917-2006) |
| Children | Amy Wallace David Wallechinsky |
| Parent(s) | Bessie Liss Alexander Wallace |
Irving Wallace (born March 19, 1916, died June 29, 1990) was a very popular American writer and screenwriter. He wrote many best-selling books. People knew him for his novels that involved a lot of research.
Contents
Growing Up and Family Life
Irving Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois. His family was Jewish and came from Russia. He grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and went to Kenosha Central High School.
Irving Wallace had two children who also became writers: his son David Wallechinsky (an Olympic historian) and his daughter Amy Wallace. He was married to Sylvia Kahn Wallace, who was also a writer and editor. Sylvia wrote two novels, The Fountains and Empress.
Starting His Writing Career
Wallace began selling stories to magazines when he was a teenager. During World War II, he served in the Frank Capra unit with famous author Dr. Seuss. He also worked in the First Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Force, where he continued to write for magazines.
Soon after, Wallace started working in Hollywood as a screenwriter. He helped write movies like The West Point Story (1950) and The Big Circus (1959). He also wrote three scripts for the TV show Have Gun – Will Travel.
Becoming a Best-Selling Author
After working in Hollywood, Irving Wallace decided to focus on writing books full-time. His first non-fiction book, The Fabulous Originals, came out in 1955. His first novel, The Sins of Philip Fleming, was published in 1959.
His next book, The Chapman Report, became a huge success. Throughout his life, Wallace published 33 books. These books were translated into 31 different languages, showing how popular they were around the world.
Books Made into Movies
Several of Irving Wallace's books were turned into films. These include The Chapman Report, The Man, and The Seven Minutes. Some of his other well-known novels are The Prize (1962), The Word (1972), and The Fan Club (1974).
Collaborations and Legacy
Irving Wallace also worked with his son, daughter, and wife on several non-fiction books. They created three editions of The People's Almanac with his son David. They also published The Book of Lists with David and Amy, and his wife Sylvia helped with the second volume. Wallace often used the interesting facts he found while researching for these books in his novels.
Irving Wallace passed away on June 29, 1990, at the age of 74. He is buried in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.
