Sidney Sheldon Fact File
Who Is Sidney Sheldon?
Sidney Sheldon (late) is the author of Master of the Game (1982), The Other Side of Midnight (1973), Rage of Angels (1980), and “A Stranger in the Mirror” (1976), among many other bestselling novels. He sold over 300 million copies and most of his works were adapted for films and movies. He is famous for writing crime fiction and thrillers with well researched content. His audience love the fast pace, creative plots, and the way his chapters are presented in a book.
Below is a fact file of the late prominent novelist.
Full Name: Sidney Sheldon, born Sidney Schechtel.
All Careers – Screenwriter, Producer, Director, Novelist
Sidney Sheldon’s Career as a Novelist
First works: The Naked Face (1970), was originally rejected by five publishers; it went on to sell several million copies and win a Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award
Active years: 1970 – 2004 (Died 30 January 2007, Eisenhower Health, Rancho Mirage, California, United States of complications from pneumonia)
Most sold/ most popular books: Master of the Game (1982), The Other Side of Midnight (1973), Rage of Angels (1980), and “Windmills of the Gods” (1987), are among his bestselling novels.
Book series, sequels? None – although “Memories of Midnight” takes off from “The other side of midnight”, the two are standalone books. However, Tilly Bagshawe does have a book series. Tilly continued the legacy of Sheldon and has written more novels in similar style and universe to Sidney. These are “After the Darkness”, “Mistress of the Game”, “Angel of the Dark”.
Total screenplays – twenty-three motion pictures, including Easter Parade (with Judy Garland) and Annie Get Your Gun.
Writing pseudonyms: (For screenplays) – Mark Rowane, Allan Devon, and Christopher Golato.
Genres/themes: Women Sleuth Mysteries, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Adventure fiction, Crime fiction, psychological fiction, Spy fiction, Romance, Legal fiction story
Total copies sold: Over 300 million
Writing process and fiction writing style
Narrative, creative writing.
Sidney is quotes on his writing process.
‘If I write about a place, I have been there. If I write about a meal in Indonesia, I have eaten there in that restaurant. I don’t think you can fool the reader’.
“I identify completely with my characters,” he says. “Alexandra came up to me, and she said, ‘Why are you crying?’ And I didn’t know I was crying. But I was writing a scene where a little boy dies. And I felt that so deeply, I was crying.”
Books adapted for films/movies, tv shows.
Bloodline (1979 film)
If Tomorrow Comes (miniseries)
Jeannie (TV series)
The Other Side of Midnight (film)
Windmills of the Gods (miniseries)
Sidney Sheldon’s Awards and Nominations
Nominated for I Dream of Jeannie (NBC) in 1967 for Emmy-Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy.
Winner, best written musical 1951 on the 3rd Writers Guild of America Awards for screenplay Annie Get Your Gun.
Nominated in the category of Best Written Musical on the 15th Writers Guild of America Awards (1963) for screenplay Billy Rose’s Jumbo.
Winner of the 1st Writers Guild 1949, for Easter Parade, American Technicolor musical film. Co-writers Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett.
Won Oscar-Best Writing on Original Screenplay, the Academy award on his first mission – The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, in 1947.
Won one of six Tony Awards for Redhead – the best musical of 1959, Sidney co-wrote with Herbert and David Shaw
Personal Life of Sidney Sheldon.
Date of Birth: February 11, 1917, Chicago, Illinois, United States. Born to Ascher “Otto” Schechtel and Natalie Marcus.
Education: Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois)
Marital status, spouse/spouses:
Wife: Jane Kaufman Harding 1945 – 1948 (divorced)
Married Jorja Curtright Sheldon 1951-1985 (died 1985).
Re-married Alexandra Kostoff (actress) in 1989 – 2007
Children: Mary Sheldon (novelist)
Source of Inspiration/Motivation- A quotation by Mr Sheldon suggests that improving quality of life could have been one of his interests. He once said “Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life”
Net worth: – According to New York Times (2007), Mr. Sheldon’s net worth, including his earnings from his film and television ventures, at $3 billion
Hobbies: –
Siblings: Richard Sheldon (Brother)
Trivia
Sidney made his first sale, $5 for a poem.
Suffered from bipolar disorder, which was successfully treated as an adult.
Served in the US military – Army Air Corps during World War II.
Wrote the revival of The Merry Widow, Jackpot and Dream with Music, three hit musicals which ran simultaneously on Broadway in 1944.
Mr Sheldon did not publish his first book until he was 53 years old after a long career in film and TV
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1988.
He wrote musicals for MGM Studios and Paramount Pictures.
The most widely translated author in the world, his books have been published in 51 languages.
The only writer to have won an Oscar, a Tony, and an Edgar
List of Sheldon’s Books in Order (time based), Genres, Publication Date.
The Naked Face 1970, genre – thriller, mystery, psychological fiction.
The Other Side of Midnight 1973 – fiction, thriller
A Stranger in the Mirror 1976 – romance fiction.
Bloodline 1977 – thriller, fiction.
Rage of Angels 1980 – thriller, fiction.
Master of the Game 1982 – fiction, thriller, mystery.
If Tomorrow Comes 1985 – thriller, mystery, crime fiction.
Windmills of the Gods 1987 – thriller, adventure fiction.
The Sands of Time 1988 – romance, adventure, adventure fiction.
Memories of Midnight 1990 – fiction, mystery.
The Doomsday Conspiracy 1991 – fiction, thriller, mystery.
The Stars Shine Down 1992 – thriller, romantic suspense, adventure fiction.
Nothing Lasts Forever 1994 – thriller, mystery, crime fiction.
Morning, Noon & Night 1995 – mystery, crime fiction.
The Adventures of Drippy 1996 – Children’s literature.
The Best Laid Plans 1997 – suspense, adventure fiction, political fiction.
Tell Me Your Dreams 1998 – fiction, thriller, mystery, legal story, romantic suspense.
The Sky Is Falling 2001 – crime fiction.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? 2004 – crime fiction, spy fiction, thriller, romantic suspense, suspense, thriller.
The Other Side of Me 2005 – biography, memoir, autobiography.
Similar writers
Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham, Agatha Christie, Dan Brown, James Patterson, David Baldacci, Mary Higgins Clark, Robert Ludlum, Stephen King, Robin Cook, Tilly Bagshawe, Lee Child, Frederick Forsyth, Richard North Patterson, Ken Follett, Dan Brown, David Baldacci, Wilbur Smith, Tom Clancy, Ian Fleming, Harlan Coben, Raymond Harold Sawkins (Colin Forbes), Martin Cruz Smith, Jonathan Kellerman, John Roswell Camp (John Sandford), Michael Chrichton, Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Higgins Clark.
Tilly Bagshawe continued the legacy of Sheldon and has written more novels in similar style and universe to Sidney.
