Elmore John Leonard, Jr. (October 11, 1925 _ August 20, 2013) was an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but Leonard 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, 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 current FX television series Justified.

Leonard was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Flora Amelia 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 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.

Leonard got his first break in the fiction market during the 1950s, regularly publishing pulp Western novels. Leonard had his first success in 1951 when Argosy published the short story "Trail of the Apaches". During the 1950s and early 1960s, he continued writing Westerns, publishing more than 30 short stories. He wrote his first novel, The Bounty Hunters, in 1953 and followed this with four other novels. Five of his westerns were turned into major movies before 1972: The Tall T, 3:10 to Yuma, Hombre, Valdez Is Coming, and Joe Kidd.

He went on to write seventeen novels and stories in the mystery, crime, and more topical genres which were made into movies between 1969 and 2013. You can find a selection of Elmore Leonard signed books below this biography.

Leonard spent the last years of his life with his family in Oakland County, Michigan. He suffered a stroke on July 29, 2013. On August 20, 2013, Leonard died at his home in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills of complications from the stroke. He was 87 years old. Leonard is survived by his five children, 13 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Elmore Leonard Book List and Awards His website: www.elmoreleonard.com/index.php Similar authors: Lee Child, Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos, Don Winslow His Facebook page. His Twitter page.

Elmore Leonard: Four Novels *Signed First Edition

Charlie Martz and Other Stories *Signed First Edition

Djibouti Signed First Edition

Road Dogs Signed First Edition

Up in Honey's Room Signed First Edition

The Hot Kid Signed First Edition

Chili Palmer

Raylan Givens

Carl Webster