Darwin Porter

Darwin Porter (born September 13, 1937, in Greensboro, North Carolina) was the son of Hazel Lee Phillips, a fashion designer, and Paul Suggs, an attorney. His stepfather, Numie Rowan Porter, adopted him and changed his last name.

He became America’s leading travel writer, producing numerous titles, mostly for the Frommer Guidebook series, over a 50-year career span. In the 21st Century, he became a pop culture journalist-historian, the leading celebrity biographer in America in terms of volume of works produced.

He grew up in Western North Carolina, moving to Miami Beach when he was ten years old. His mother was the wardrobe mistress and secretary for the renowned entertainer, Sophie Tucker. As a young boy in Ms. Tucker’s home, Porter first met many of the stars he would later write about—Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Victor Mature, Richard Widmark, Frank Sinatra, and Elizabeth Taylor, plus an array of other stars.

He attended the University of Miami, graduating in 1959. He was the editor of the award-winning student newspaper, The Miami Hurricane, and the President of the Florida Intercollegiate Press Association. As a student journalist, he obtained major interviews, most notably with Eleanor Roosevelt. She befriended him and was instrumental in recommending him for a scholarship. He did interviews with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, along with Tallulah Bankhead, Ted Williams, Bette Davis, Ethel Merman, Adlai Stevenson, and Vice President Richard M. Nixon.

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