Raymond Chandler

 Raymond Chandler was a British-American novelist. He was well-known for his crime fiction novels. Chandler was born in Chicago, IL in 1888. After his parents divorced, Raymond Chandler moved to England to attend Dulwich College. At Dulwich, Chandler studied in France and Germany as well before returning to England. Chandler became a British citizen and received a job with the Admiralty. He left his job five years later to return back to America in 1912. Chandler enlisted in the Canadian Army during World War I. After war, he return to California and worked as a bookkeeper until working his way up to vice-president of an Oil syndicate. Throughout all of this time, he continued to write. 

When the Great Depression hit, the oil business collapsed, leaving Chandler jobless. Chandler made the most of this opportunity, and turned to his writing full-time. Many of his early stories were published in mystery magazines including Black Mask. Chandler is most known for his first four novels, The Big Sleep, Farewell My Lovely, The High Window and The Lady in the Lake. All four of these novels were made into successful films as well. While in Hollywood, Chandler also worked as a screenwriter. One of his most well-known scripts was for the film Double Indemnity. 

Raymond Chandler was a huge success for his crime fiction work. He died at the age of 70 due to pneumonia. Pictured below is a shot from Chandler's famous novel, The Big Sleep. In this film, Chandler's well-known lead character, Philip Marlowe, was played by the incredibly famous Humphrey Bogart. Also pictured from the film is actress Lauren Bacall.