Master of the Game

As a legendary storyteller, novelist, and screenwriter, Sidney Sheldon remains one of the world's top bestselling authors and is the only writer to have won an Oscar, a Tony, and an Edgar. He was also the recipient of the prestigious French Prix Littraire de Deauville award. All eighteen of Sheldon's novels reigned at the top of the "New York Times" bestseller list. His second, "The Other Side of Midnight", held the "Times"'s then-record of fifty-two weeks on the list. Sheldon was the creator of TV's classic hit programs "The Patty Duke Show", "I Dream of Jeannie", and "Hart to Hart". Additionally, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. He twice won the Screenwriters Guild Award for Best Musical—for "Easter Parade" and "Annie Get Your Gun". "The Guinness World Records 2004" heralded him as the most translated author in the world.

Biography

Best known today for his exciting blockbuster novels, Sidney Sheldon was the author of The Best Laid Plans, Nothing Lasts Forever, The Stars Shine Down, The Doomsday Conspiracy, Memories of Midnight, The Sands of Time, Windmills of the Gods, If Tomorrow Comes, Master of the Game, Rage of Angels, Bloodline, A Stranger in the Mirror, and The Other Side of Midnight. Almost all of them were number-one international bestsellers. His first book, The Naked Face, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "the best first mystery of the year" and received an Edgar Award. Most of his novels became major feature films or TV miniseries, and there are more than 275 million copies of his books in print throughout the world.

Before he became a novelist, Sheldon had already won a Tony Award for Broadway's Redhead and an Academy Award for The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer. He has written the screenplays for twenty-three motion pictures, including Easter Parade (with Judy Garland) and Annie Get Your Gun. In addition, he penned six other Broadway hits and created three long-running television series, including Hart to Hart and I Dream of Jeannie, which he also produced. A writer who delighted millions with his award-winning plays, movies, novels, and television shows, Sidney Sheldon reigned as one of the most popular storytellers of all time.

Author biography courtesy of Time Warner.

Good To Know

Some interesting outtakes from our interview with Sheldon:

"When I was 17, I was happy to be working in a drugstore, because I could steal enough sleeping pills to commit suicide."

"I have bi-polar syndrome and was not aware what was disturbing me until I received an Academy Award and went to see a psychiatrist."

"I have worked 7 days a week as long as I can remember. A business manager of mine gave me $25 worth of tennis lessons. I went down to my tennis court and we played once a week. I really enjoyed it. Playing with the pro one day, my teacher said to me that the money had been spent and did I want to continue. I started to say yes, then I realized that I didn't want to be out on the tennis court. I wanted to be in my office writing. That was 25 years ago and I haven't been on my tennis court since."