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Irving Wallace
Irving Wallace
Irving Wallace
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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.[1]

Key Information

Early life

[edit]

Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Bessie Liss and Alexander Wallace (an Americanized version of the original family name of Wallechinsky). The family was Jewish[2] and originally from Russia. Wallace was named after his maternal grandfather, a bookkeeper and Talmudic scholar of Narewka, Poland. Wallace grew up at 6103 Eighteenth Avenue in Kenosha, Wisconsin,[3] where he attended Kenosha Central High School.[4] He was the father of Olympic historian David Wallechinsky and author Amy Wallace.

Career

[edit]

Wallace began selling stories to magazines when he was a teenager. In the Second World War Wallace served in the Frank Capra unit in Fort Fox along with Theodor Seuss Geisel[5] – better known as Dr. Seuss – and continued to write for magazines. He also served in the First Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Force.[6] Soon, however, Wallace turned to a more lucrative job as a Hollywood 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 (1959). He also contributed three scripts[7] to the western television program Have Gun – Will Travel.

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.[citation needed]

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 and her two children also helped him to produce 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.[8] 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. Also among his best-known books are The Prize (1962), The Word (1972) and The Fan Club (1974).

Michael Korda and Peter Schwed were the editors for Wallace at Simon & Schuster. 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."[1]

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 (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 on June 29, 1990, at age 74. He was interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Bibliography

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References

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Irving Wallace

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Irving Wallace (March 19, 1916 – June 29, 1990) was an American , , and short-story best known for his bestselling fiction that combined extensive historical and scientific research with dramatic narratives on themes such as sexuality, religion, and power dynamics. His prolific output included nearly three dozen books, many adapted into films and television productions, with sales exceeding 200 million copies and an estimated one billion readers worldwide. Born in , , to Russian Jewish immigrant parents Bessie Liss and Alexander Wallace, he was one of two children and named after his maternal grandfather, a Talmudic scholar. Wallace grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household in , where he attended Kenosha Central High School and experienced no notable . After moving to , he studied briefly at the Williams Institute in Berkeley and before embarking on a writing career at age 15, contributing articles and stories to magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post and Cosmopolitan. During , he served as a in the U.S. Air Forces, honing his skills in and . Wallace's breakthrough came with his second novel, (1960), a controversial exploration of female sexuality inspired by the , which became a and was adapted into a 1962 film. Subsequent hits included The Prize (1962), a thriller involving the Nobel Prizes; (1964), the first major novel to feature an African American U.S. president; and The Word (1976), delving into biblical scholarship. He also co-authored nonfiction works like The People's Almanac series (1975–1981) with his children, historian and author , and donated his manuscripts to the Honnold Library at . Wallace received accolades including the Supreme Award of Merit in 1964 and a Commonwealth Club in 1965 for his contributions to popular literature. He died of at in at age 74, leaving a legacy of accessible, research-driven storytelling that influenced modern commercial fiction.

Early Life and Education

Family Background and Childhood

Irving Wallace was born on March 19, 1916, in , , to Jewish immigrant parents from , Bessie Liss and Alexander Wallace (an Americanized form of the original surname Wallechinsky). He was named after his maternal grandfather, a Talmudic . His parents had emigrated to the as teenagers, part of a wave of Eastern European Jewish migration seeking better opportunities amid pogroms and economic instability in their homeland. The family lived in a modest working-class household, with Alexander working as a clerk before purchasing a , reflecting the entrepreneurial spirit common among immigrant families striving for stability. When Wallace was about one year old, the family relocated to , where his father established the general store that became the center of their livelihood. This move placed them in a small industrial town with a growing Jewish community, though the household remained humble, shaped by the parents' experiences of and to American life. Wallace was one of two children, sharing the home with his older sister, , in an environment that emphasized resilience and cultural continuity from their Russian roots. He grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household and experienced no notable . Wallace's early years were influenced by his mother's strong push for education, a value she instilled despite the economic pressures of the era, including the onset of the in the late 1920s that strained many immigrant families like theirs. The modest Jewish household in Kenosha provided a foundation of familial closeness and cultural heritage, with traditions and stories from fostering a sense of identity amid the challenges of assimilation and financial uncertainty. As a teenager, Wallace began exploring his interest in writing, eventually selling his first to a .

Schooling and Early Writing Interests

Irving Wallace attended Kenosha Central High School in , where he developed a strong interest in writing through extracurricular activities. He contributed to the school newspaper, eventually serving as its editor. These experiences honed his skills in reporting and storytelling, laying the groundwork for his future career. He also won numerous awards as a high school debater. As a young student, Wallace was an avid reader who frequently visited the local library in Kenosha, immersing himself in literature that fueled his creative ambitions. His family provided a supportive environment that nurtured his early passions. After high school, Wallace moved to California, where he studied briefly at the Williams Institute in Berkeley on a scholarship for creative writing and at Los Angeles City College before embarking on his writing career. Wallace's first foray into paid writing came at age 15, when he sold an article titled "The Horse Laugh" to a magazine for $5; two years later, at 17, he sold his initial short story to another publication for $12. These early sales and school-based writings marked the beginning of his prolific output in fiction and nonfiction.

Professional Career

Screenwriting and Journalism Beginnings

Following his high school graduation in Kenosha, Wisconsin, around 1934, Irving Wallace pursued freelance journalism in the Chicago area during the 1930s, contributing articles on local events and features to various newspapers and magazines. At age 15, he had already sold his first short story, "The Horse Laugh," to Horse and Jockey magazine for $5, marking an early bridge to professional writing. After briefly attending Los Angeles City College for two semesters to study creative writing, Wallace dropped out in 1937 to focus on full-time freelancing, securing assignments such as celebrity interviews with figures like Pablo Picasso and W.C. Fields for publications including Modern Screen. His work during this period also appeared in national magazines like The Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, and Esquire, often blending fiction and non-fiction while he honed his skills amid financial challenges. In 1942, Wallace enlisted in the U.S. Army and served until 1946 in the ' First , where he contributed to documentary and training film production under director . Assigned to Capra's team, he co-wrote scripts for the influential "" propaganda series, including episodes like Know Your Enemy: Japan (1945), which aimed to educate troops on the reasons for U.S. involvement in and the nature of Axis adversaries. He also collaborated with Theodor Geisel () on other projects, such as Your Job in Germany (1945), and worked on films like War Comes to America (1945), leveraging his writing to support military morale and information efforts. After his discharge, Wallace relocated to Hollywood in 1946, embarking on a career that spanned over two decades and included more than 20 credits, many uncredited revisions for studios like Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and Paramount. His notable produced screenplays encompassed The West Point Story (1950), a musical comedy starring , and Off Limits (1952), a Bob Hope vehicle set during the . Additional credits included Split Second (1953), a tense thriller with , and television episodes for series like The Untouchables, where he scripted stories drawing on his journalistic background for dramatic narratives. This phase solidified his professional footing in entertainment, though he later expressed frustration with collaborative script revisions.

Transition to Novels and Bestsellers

After years of working as a and , Irving Wallace shifted his focus to , publishing his , The Sins of Philip Fleming, in 1959. The book, centered on a Hollywood scriptwriter grappling with personal and professional dilemmas, drew from Wallace's own experiences in the film industry. This semi-autobiographical work marked his entry into novel writing, though it did not achieve widespread commercial success at the time. Wallace's breakthrough came with in 1960, a exploring sexual in a suburban community through the lens of a fictional research study inspired by Alfred Kinsey's reports on . The book sold over 3 million copies worldwide, propelling Wallace to bestseller status and establishing him as a commercial author. Its success was amplified by a 1962 film adaptation, which heightened public interest in the provocative themes of female sexuality and societal norms. This exemplified Wallace's emerging style: meticulous research combined with thriller-like suspense and social commentary. In the following decades, Wallace produced a string of major bestsellers, including The Prize (1962), which delved into intrigue surrounding the awards; The Man (1964), featuring the first Black amid political turmoil; and The Seven Minutes (1969), a tale of censorship battles over an erotic . Over his career, he authored 16 novels, several of which reached number one on bestseller list, such as The Word (1972). His writing process emphasized exhaustive research—often involving hundreds of interviews, archival dives, and expert consultations—to lend authenticity to plots addressing issues like power, religion, and sex, all woven into accessible, page-turning narratives. Wallace maintained a prolific output, releasing a new book roughly every one to two years through the . His background influenced the taut pacing and dramatic tension in these works.

Non-Fiction Collaborations and Later Works

Wallace's early forays into non-fiction included The Fabulous Originals (1955), a collection of biographies profiling notable celebrities and their unconventional lives. This was followed by works such as The Square Pegs (1957), exploring eccentric historical figures, and The Sunday Gentleman (1965), a compilation of articles on unusual people, places, and press lords that highlighted Wallace's journalistic roots. These books emphasized accessible pop-history through researched anecdotes, setting the stage for his later output. In the 1970s, Wallace shifted toward major collaborative projects with his family, producing some of his most commercially successful non-fiction. Alongside his son , he co-authored The People's Almanac (1975), a massive compilation of quirky facts, historical oddities, and cultural that became a bestseller, selling over three million copies of the first edition alone. The series continued with sequels in 1978 and 1981, expanding on the original's format of eclectic, reader-friendly information drawn from extensive research. Wallace, , and his daughter then launched (1977), a series presenting ranked compilations of intriguing topics—from historical events to pop culture phenomena—that reached the bestseller list and inspired multiple sequels through the 1980s. Later collaborations extended to his daughter Amy, including The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People (1981), co-authored with the entire Wallace family (including wife Sylvia), which delved into the sexual histories of historical and celebrity figures through documented accounts and analysis. Wallace also produced solo non-fiction in this period, such as The Nympho and Other Maniacs (1971), an examination of women's sexual liberation through biographical sketches of scandalous figures in history. Overall, Wallace authored or co-authored 17 non-fiction titles, focusing on entertaining yet rigorously sourced explorations of history, biography, and trivia that mirrored the meticulous research style of his novels. These works, alongside his fiction, contributed to total sales exceeding 120 million copies worldwide.

Personal Life

Marriage and Family

Irving Wallace married Sylvia Kahn on June 3, 1941, shortly after meeting her in Los Angeles, where she served as West Coast editor for Photoplay magazine and he contributed articles to publications like Modern Screen. Sylvia played a pivotal role in Wallace's career as an editor for many of his manuscripts and as a co-author on several family projects, including The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People (1981) and entries in the Book of Lists series; she also penned her own bestselling novel, The Fountains (1976), which explored themes of female empowerment. Sylvia died on October 20, 2006. The couple had two children: son (born February 5, 1948), a noted Olympic historian who co-authored the influential People's Almanac series with his father, and daughter (born July 3, 1955), a and biographer who contributed to family collaborations such as The Book of Lists #2 (1980) before her death in 2013. The Wallaces raised their family in , fostering a household centered on writing and research, where shared creative routines strengthened their bonds and amplified their output—evident in the collective credits on nonfiction works like the People's Almanac, which drew on family input to compile eclectic historical and cultural trivia. This familial synergy not only supported Wallace's transition from to bestselling authorship but also created a legacy of collaborative scholarship, with the People's Almanac series exemplifying how their joint efforts produced enduring reference books that reached millions of readers worldwide.

Health Challenges and Death

Shortly before his death, Irving Wallace was diagnosed with . He had recently published two novels: The Celestial Bed in 1987, which explored themes of and , and The Golden Room in 1988, a suspenseful tale involving family secrets and inheritance. His family, including wife Sylvia and children and —who had collaborated with him on previous works—provided support during his final days. Wallace died on June 29, 1990, at the age of 74, from complications of at in , , with his wife and children at his bedside. He was interred at Hillside Memorial Park in . In the immediate aftermath of his death, publishers highlighted Wallace's monumental impact on popular fiction, noting that his had sold over 200 million copies and reached an estimated 1 billion readers worldwide. Tributes emphasized his role as a master of entertaining, fact-infused narratives that captivated global audiences.

Literary Works and Legacy

Bibliography Overview

Irving Wallace produced a prolific body of work over his career, including 19 novels, 17 books, more than 100 short stories published in magazines during the and early , and over 20 credits for films and television. His books were published primarily by major houses such as for early works and Delacorte Press for later ones, and collectively translated into more than 30 languages worldwide.

Novels

Wallace's 19 novels, written between 1959 and 1989, often drew on contemporary social issues and historical research, establishing him as a bestselling author of popular fiction.

Non-Fiction Books

Wallace's 17 non-fiction works, spanning 1955 to 1990, frequently involved collaborations with family members such as his son and daughter , focusing on biographical, historical, and compendium-style topics. Wallace contributed over 100 short stories to periodicals such as , , and Argosy prior to 1955, many under pseudonyms, marking his early career in pulp and . His screenwriting credits exceed 20, with notable examples including Jive Junction (1943), The West Point Story (1950), Split Second (1953), Sincerely Yours (1955), (1957), and (1959); he also wrote episodes for television series like (1957–1963).

Adaptations and Cultural Impact

Several of Irving Wallace's novels were adapted into films during the 1960s and 1970s, reflecting their commercial appeal and themes of intrigue, sexuality, and power. The Chapman Report (1960) was adapted into a 1962 film directed by George Cukor, starring Shelley Winters and Jane Fonda, which explored sexual behaviors through a fictional study and drew from Wallace's research-intensive style. Similarly, The Prize (1962) became a 1963 spy thriller film directed by Mark Robson, featuring Paul Newman as a Nobel Prize-winning author entangled in Cold War espionage in Stockholm, emphasizing Wallace's blend of factual detail and suspense. The Man (1964), Wallace's novel about the first Black U.S. President, was adapted into a 1972 political drama directed by Joseph Sargent, with James Earl Jones in the lead role as Senator Douglass Dilman navigating racial tensions and crises, scripted by Rod Serling. The Seven Minutes (1969), a legal thriller on obscenity and free speech, inspired a 1971 film directed by Russ Meyer, starring Wayne Maunder as a lawyer defending a bookseller accused of distributing pornographic material, highlighting debates over censorship that echoed real-world controversies Wallace encountered with his earlier works. Wallace's novels also extended to television, with The Word (1972) adapted into a 1978 CBS miniseries directed by Richard Lang, starring David Janssen as a publicist uncovering a purported lost gospel manuscript amid religious and political intrigue; the four-part production aired over two nights and featured early roles for actors like Kate Mulgrew. Beyond screen adaptations, Wallace's exploration of censorship in The Seven Minutes—inspired by his own battles over The Chapman Report's explicit content—mirrored and influenced real events, such as ongoing U.S. obscenity trials in the late 1960s and early 1970s, where courts grappled with defining pornography versus literature. In other media, Wallace's works have seen renewed life through audiobooks and digital formats; for instance, titles like The Prize and The Word are available as unabridged audiobooks narrated by professionals, with Kindle editions reissued in the 2020s to reach contemporary readers, often with updated covers but retaining original texts that now prompt discussions on dated sexual portrayals. Wallace's cultural impact lies in pioneering the "research-thriller" genre, where meticulous historical and scientific investigation drives fast-paced narratives, as seen in The Word, which became a cornerstone of thrillers by blending biblical with elements to question religious . His accessible and sensational plots influenced later popular authors, including , who cited Wallace alongside as key role models for crafting steamy, plot-driven bestsellers that appealed to mass audiences. While praised for democratizing complex topics like Nobel ceremonies or presidential succession through engaging storytelling, Wallace faced critiques for , with some reviewers noting clichéd elements and exaggerated drama that prioritized entertainment over depth, though his books' enduring sales—millions of copies worldwide—underscore their role in broadening thriller readership. Post-1990, coverage of Wallace's legacy has emphasized digital revivals over new adaptations, highlighting opportunities to revisit his works through modern lenses on themes like and diversity.

References

  1. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/irving-wallace
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  3. https://greencardamom.github.io/BooksAndWriters/iwallace.htm
  4. https://www.uwp.edu/learn/library/archives/manuscript.cfm
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  6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1990/06/30/best-selling-novelist-irving-wallace-74-dies/9cb5fe9a-8896-466c-8406-9037ba165e69/
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  8. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6028/irving-wallace
  9. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908683/bio/
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  19. https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/28/archives/nonfiction-in-brief.html
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  23. https://variety.com/2006/scene/people-news/sylvia-wallace-1117952718/
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  25. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-oct-26-me-wallace26-story.html
  26. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/wallechinsky-david-1948-david-wallace
  27. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1303031/bio/
  28. https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/irving-wallace/
  29. https://www.addall.com/books-in-order/irving-wallace/
  30. https://www.rarebookcellar.com/advSearchResults.php?authorField=Irving%2BWallace&action=search
  31. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908683/
  32. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/27329/the-chapman-report
  33. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055841/
  34. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057426/
  35. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1044/the-prize
  36. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068912/
  37. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82522/the-man
  38. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067736/
  39. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077104/
  40. https://www.academia.edu/881204/Irving_Wallace_The_Interview_The_Author_of_the_Word
  41. https://www.audible.com/author/Irving-Wallace/B000APW8BE
  42. https://scalar.usc.edu/works/gospel-thrillers/1972-irving-wallace-the-word-simon---schuster
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  44. https://wedareyou.tourismthailand.org/fetch.php/book-search/Y64704/IrvingWallaceTheMan.pdf
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