Irving Wallace (March 19, 1916 – June 29, 1990) was an American best-selling author and screenwriter. He was known for his heavily researched novels, many with a sexual theme.

Early life

Wallace was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, to Bessie Liss and Alexander Wallace (an Americanized version of the original family name of Wallechinsky). The family was Jewish and originally from Russia. Wallace was named after his maternal grandfather, a bookkeeper and

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

ic scholar of

Narewka Narewka ( be, На́раўка) is a village in eastern Poland, with its population estimated at 935 residents (as of 2011). It is located in Gmina Narewka, Hajnówka County, within Podlaskie Voivodeship. The village is located near Poland's bo ...

, Poland. Wallace grew up at 6103 Eighteenth Avenue in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...

, where he attended Kenosha Central High School. He was the father of

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

historian

David Wallechinsky David Wallechinsky (born David Wallace, February 5, 1948) is an American populist historian and television commentator, the president of the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) and the founder and editor-in-chief of AllGov.com and ...

and author

Amy Wallace Amy Wallace (July 3, 1955 – August 10, 2013) was an American writer. She was the daughter of writers Irving Wallace and Sylvia Wallace and the sister of writer and populist historian David Wallechinsky. She was co-author of the bestsellin ...

Career

Wallace began selling stories to magazines when he was a teenager. In

the Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Wallace served in the

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

unit in Fort Fox along with Theodor Seuss Geisel – better known as

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' First Motion Picture Unit The 18th AAF Base Unit (Motion Picture Unit), originally known as the First Motion Picture Unit, Army Air Forces, was the primary film production unit of the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) during World War II, and was the first military unit mad ...

of the

Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War ...

. Soon, however, Wallace turned to a more lucrative job as a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

screenwriter. He collaborated on such films as '' The West Point Story'' (1950), '' Split Second'' (1953), ''Meet Me at the Fair'' (1953), and ''

The Big Circus ''The Big Circus'' is a 1959 film starring Victor Mature as a circus owner struggling with financial trouble and a murderous unknown saboteur. It was produced and cowritten by Irwin Allen, later known for a series of big-budget disaster films. Pl ...

'' (1959). He also contributed three scripts to the western television program ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...

''. After an unsatisfying stint in Hollywood, he devoted himself full-time to writing books. He published his first non-fiction work in 1955, ''The Fabulous Originals'', and his first fiction offering, ''The Sins of Philip Fleming'', in 1959. The latter, ignored by critics, was followed by the enormously successful ''The Chapman Report''. Wallace published 33 books during his lifetime, translated into 31 languages. Irving Wallace was married to Sylvia (née Kahn) Wallace, a former magazine writer and editor. Her first novel, ''The Fountains'', was an American best-seller and published in twelve foreign editions. Her second novel, ''Empress'', was published in 1980. She also helped him to produce, along with their two children, '' The Book of Lists#2'' and ''The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People''. In her autobiography, Amy Wallace wrote that her mother's contributions were not always helpful and the atmosphere not always harmonious.''Sorcerer's Apprentice'' – Amy Wallace (Frog, 2003), p. 125 Sylvia Wallace died October 20, 2006 at age 89. Several of Wallace's books have been made into films, including '' The Chapman Report'', '' The Man'', '' The Seven Minutes'' and ''

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

''. Also among his best-known books are '' The Prize'' (1962), '' The Word'' (1972) and ''

The Fan Club ''The Fan Club'' is a novel by Irving Wallace published in 1974 about a group of young men who stalk and plan to kidnap and coerce a popular actress into having sex with them. Plot summary Adam Malone is a supermarket manager in Los Angeles w ...

'' (1974).

Michael Korda Michael Korda (born 8 October 1933) is an English-born writer and novelist who was editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster in New York City. Early years Born in London, Michael Korda is the son of English actress Gertrude Musgrove and the Hungaria ...

and

Peter Schwed Peter Schwed (1911–2003) was an American editor and the editorial chairman and a trade book publisher for Simon & Schuster. Among the authors he edited were P.G. Wodehouse, Irving Wallace, Harold Robbins, David McCullough and Cornelius Ryan. S ...

were the editors for Wallace at

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...

. In his autobiography ''Another Life'', Korda suggests that Wallace invented a style of novel that is at once a strong story and encyclopedia, with "some sex thrown in to keep the reader's pulse going." With his son, daughter and wife he produced some notable non-fiction works, including three editions each of '' The People's Almanac'' (with son David) and ''

The Book of Lists The ''Book of Lists'' refers to any one of a series of books compiled by David Wallechinsky, his father Irving Wallace and sister Amy Wallace. Each book contains hundreds of lists (many accompanied by textual explanations) on unusual or obs ...

'' (with David and Amy and wife Sylvia for the second volume). Wallace used many of the odd facts he uncovered in his novels. Wallace died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancr ...

on June 29, 1990 at age 74. He was interred at

Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California. Many Jews from the entertainment industry are buried here. The cemetery is known for Al Jolson's elaborate tomb (desig ...

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

Bibliography

Novels

* ''The Sins of Philip Fleming: A Compelling Novel of One Man's Intimate Problem'' (1959) * '' The Chapman Report'' (1961) * '' The Prize'' (1962) * ''The Three Sirens'' (1963) * '' The Man'' (1964) * ''The Plot (1967)'' * '' The Seven Minutes'' (1969) * '' The Word'' (1972) * ''

'' (1974) * ''

The R Document ''The R Document'' (1976), by Irving Wallace, is a novel in the genres of the political thriller and the legal thriller, which recounts a secret ''coup d’état'' by the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to void the Bill o ...

'' (1976) * ''The Pigeon Project'' (1979) * ''

The Second Lady ''The Second Lady'' is a political thriller by Irving Wallace. Commercial Reception ''The Second Lady'' was a ''New York Times'' bestseller; it was on the list for nine weeks, peaking at #8. Film Adaptation The novel was adapted into a Hindi feat ...

'' (1980) * ''The Almighty'' (1982) * ''The Miracle'' (1984/2005) * '' The Seventh Secret'' (1986) (with an additional chapter by Tom Posch in the Dutch translation of 1989) * '' The Celestial Bed'' (1987) * ''The Golden Room'' (1988) * ''The Guest of Honor'' (1989)

Non-fiction

* ''The Fabulous Originals: Lives of Extraordinary People Who Inspired Memorable Characters in Fiction'' (1955) * ''The Square Pegs: Some Americans Who Dared to Be Different'' (1958) * ''The Fabulous Showman: The Life and Times of P.T. Barnum'' (1959) * ''The Twenty-Seventh Wife'' (1961) * ''The Sunday Gentleman'' (1966) * ''The Writing of One Novel'' (1968) * ''The Nympho and Other Maniacs: The Lives, the Loves and the Sexual Adventures of Some Scandalous and Liberated Ladies'' (1971) * '' The People's Almanac'' (1975) * ''

'' (1977) (with David Wallechinsky and Amy Wallace) * '' The Two: The Biography of The Original Siamese Twins'' (1978) (with Amy Wallace) * ''The People's Almanac #2'' (1978) (with David Wallechinsky) * '' The Book of Lists#2'' (1980) (with David Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace and Sylvia Wallace) * ''The People's Almanac #3'' (1981) (with David Wallechinsky) * ''The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People'' (1981) (with David Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace and Sylvia Wallace) * '' The Book of Lists#3'' (1983) (with Amy Wallace and David Wallechinsky) * ''Significa'' (1983) (with Amy Wallace and David Wallechinsky) In 1974, John Leverance, of the Department of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University (Ohio), published "Irving Wallace: A Writer's Profile", an analysis and appreciation of Wallace's work.

References

External links

* * *
''Irving Wallace: A Writer's Profile'' by John Leverence and Sam L. Grogg
(Popular Press, 1974)
''The Miracle'' by Irving Wallace
(Googlebooks preview)
Portrait of writer Irving Wallace smoking pipe, 1972.

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections,

Charles E. Young Research Library The Charles E. Young Research Library is one of the largest libraries on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. It initially opened in 1964, and a second phase of construction was completed ...

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

.
Irving Wallace Papers
Special Collections, The Claremont Colleges Library, Claremont, California.
Irving Wallace Collection
held b

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , p ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Irving 1916 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American novelists Almanac compilers American book editors American information and reference writers American male novelists American male screenwriters Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pancreatic cancer First Motion Picture Unit personnel Jewish American novelists People from Kenosha, Wisconsin Writers from Chicago American people of Russian-Jewish descent 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Illinois 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers Screenwriters from Illinois Screenwriters from Wisconsin 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American Jews