Christopher Landon
| Christopher Landon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
29 March 1911 West Byfleet, Surrey, England |
| Died |
26 April 1961 (aged 50) Frognal, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Christopher Guy Landon |
| Occupation |
writer author |
Christopher Guy Landon, known as Christopher Landon (29 March 1911 – 26 April 1961) was a British writer of novels and screenplays, best known for his novel Ice Cold in Alex (1957) which he adapted faithfully for the big screen creating one of the most famous of war movies, likewise entitled Ice Cold in Alex (1958).
Biography
Landon was born in West Byfleet, Surrey.[1] His father was a stockjobber of Huguenot descent and he was a distant cousin of the author Perceval Landon. He was educated at Lancing College and Cambridge University.[1] He studied medicine.
Christopher Landon served with the 51st Field Ambulance in North Africa during the Second World War and with the 1st S.A. Division. He ended the war with the rank of Major in the Royal Army Service Corps.[2]
After the war he wrote several novels including: A Flag in the City (1953), his first novel which was about World War II British intelligence in Teheran and their plans to destroy Germany's fifth column operations in Persia; Stone Cold Dead in the Market; Hornet's Nest; Dead Men Rise Up Never; and Unseen Enemy (aka The Shadow of Time).
He died of accidental alcohol and barbiturate poisoning at his home in Frognal in 1961, leaving a wife and three children.[1][3]
References
- 1 2 3 p227, J. Lee Thompson, Steve Chibnall, Manchester University Press, 2000 Google Books
- ↑ Burke's Landed Gentry, 1952 edition, "Landon of Uxmore"
- ↑ "Accidental Death" Of Novelist, The Times, Tuesday, 2 May 1961