Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard
Leonard at the 70th Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon, 2011
Born	Elmore John Leonard Jr. (1925-10-11)October 11, 1925 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	August 20, 2013(2013-08-20) (aged 87) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Writer
Education	University of Detroit High School (1943) Blessed Sacrament School, Detroit
Alma mater	University of Detroit English, Philosophy (1950)
Genre	Pulp fiction Westerns Crime fiction
Spouse	Beverly Claire Cline (1949–1977; divorced) Joan Shepard (1979–1993; her death) Christine Kent (1993–2012; divorced)
Children	Jane (Jones) Peter Leonard Chris Bill Kate (Dudley) (all with Cline)
Relatives	Margaret (sister) 12 grandchildren 6 great-grandchildren
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1943–1946
Rank	Petty Officer 3rd Class
Unit	Seabees
Battles/wars	World War II

Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925 – August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.

Among his best-known works are Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Swag, Hombre, Mr. Majestyk, and Rum Punch (adapted for the movie Jackie Brown). Leonard's writings include short stories that became the films 3:10 to Yuma and The Tall T, as well as the FX television series Justified.

Leonard was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Flora Amelia (née Rive) and Elmore John Leonard, Sr. Because his father worked as a site locator for General Motors, the family moved frequently for several years. In 1934, the family settled in Detroit.

He graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1943 and, after being rejected for the Marines for weak eyesight, immediately joined the Navy, where he served with the Seabees for three years in the South Pacific (gaining the nickname "Dutch", after pitcher Dutch Leonard). Enrolling at the University of Detroit in 1946, he pursued writing more seriously, entering his work in short story contests and sending it off to magazines. He graduated in 1950 with a bachelor's degree in English and philosophy. A year before he graduated, he got a job as a copy writer with Campbell-Ewald Advertising Agency, a position he kept for several years, writing on the side.