Brian Garfield
Brian Francis Wynne Garfield was an American novelist and screenwriter. He wrote his first published book at the age of 18 and wrote many novels under such pen names as "Frank Wynne" and "'Brian Wynne" before gaining prominence when his book Hopscotch won the 1976 Edgar Award for Best Novel. He is best known for his 1972 novel Death Wish, which was adapted for the 1974 film of the same title, followed by four sequels, and the 2018 remake. His follow-up 1975 sequel to Death Wish, Death Sentence, was very loosely adapted into the 2007 film of the same name; it had an entirely different storyline, but with the novel's same look on vigilantism. Garfield is also the author of The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History. Garfield's latest book, published in 2007, is Meinertzhagen, the biography of controversial British intelligence officer Richard Meinertzhagen.
Garfield was born in New York City, the son of Frances O'Brien, a portrait artist, and George Garfield. He was the nephew of chorus dancer and stage manager Chester O'Brien. Garfield died in Pasadena, California, in December 2018 at the age of 79.Pen names
- Bennett Garland
- Alex Hawk
- John Ives
- Drew Mallory
- Frank O'Brian
- Jonas Ward
- Brian Wynne
- Frank Wynne
Works
Novels
Collections:
- Checkpoint Charlie, collection of 12 short stories
- Suspended Sentences, collection of 8 short stories
Non-fiction
- The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians
- Western Films: A Complete Guide
- The Meinertzhagen Mystery: The Life and Legend of a Colossal Fraud
Screenplays
- The Last Hard Men - Garfield did uncredited rewrites. Based on his novel Gun Down.
- Hopscotch - Based on his novel.
- The Stepfather - Screenplay by Donald E. Westlake, based on a story by Garfield, Westlake, and Carolyn Lefcourt.
