Robert Graysmith

{{short description|American writer (born 1942)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Robert Graysmith

|birth_name = Robert Gray Smith

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1942|09|17}}

|birth_place = Pensacola, Florida, U.S.

|occupation = Author, cartoonist

|notable_works = Zodiac (1986)

| spouse = {{plainlist|

  • {{marriage| Margaret Ann Womack|November 8, 1963|June 1973|reason=divorce}}
  • {{marriage|Melanie Krakower|November 26, 1975|September 1980|reason=divorce}}

}}

}}

Robert Graysmith (born Robert Gray Smith; September 17, 1942){{cite web|url= https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/graysmith-robert-1942 |title= Graysmith, Robert 1942- |website= Encyclopedia.com |access-date= October 26, 2020}} is an American true crime author and former cartoonist, known for authoring the 1986 book Zodiac, based on his work on the Zodiac Killer case.

Career

Graysmith worked as a political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969, when the Zodiac Killer case came to prominence. He attempted to decode letters written by the killer and became obsessed with the case over the next 13 years. Graysmith wrote two books about the case; his 1986 book Zodiac was the basis for the 2007 film by the same name. He eventually gave up his career as a cartoonist to write five more books on high-profile crimes, one of which became the basis for the film Auto Focus (2002).{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/28/AR2007022801979.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | first=William | last=Booth | title=A Killer Obsession | date=March 1, 2007}}

Personal life

Graysmith was married to Margaret Ann Womack, a nurse, from 1963 to 1973. He then married Melanie Krakower in 1975, but they divorced in 1980. He directly attributes his failed marriage to his intense interest in the Zodiac case.

Bibliography

  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=1986|title=Zodiac|title-link=Zodiac (true crime book)|location=New York|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-0-312-89895-3}}
  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=1990|title=The Sleeping Lady: the trailside murders above the Golden Gate|url=https://archive.org/details/sleepinglady00robe|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Onyx|isbn=978-0-451-40255-4}}
  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=1993|title=The Murder of Bob Crane: who killed the star of Hogan's Heroes?|url=https://archive.org/details/murderofbobcrane00gray|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Crown Publishers|isbn=978-0-517-59209-0}}
  • {{cite book|last = Graysmith|first = R.|display-authors = 0|date = 1997|title = Unabomber: a desire to kill|location = Washington, D.C.|publisher = Regnery|isbn = 9780895263971|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/unabomberdesiret0000gray}}
  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=1999|title=The Bell Tower: the case of Jack the Ripper finally solved|url=https://archive.org/details/belltower00robe|url-access=registration|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Regnery|isbn=978-0-89526-324-7}}
  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=1999|title=Ghostfleet|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Regnery|isbn=978-0-89526-271-4}}
  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=2002|title=Zodiac Unmasked: the identity of America's most elusive serial killer revealed|url=https://archive.org/details/zodiacunmaskedid00gray_0|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Berkley Books|isbn=978-0-425-18332-8}}
  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=2003|title=Amerithrax: the hunt for the anthrax killer|location=New York|publisher=Berkley Books|isbn=978-0-425-19190-3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/amerithraxhuntfo00gray_0}}
  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=2009|title=The Laughing Gorilla: a true story of police corruption and murder|url=https://archive.org/details/laughinggorillat00gray|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Berkley Books|isbn=978-0-425-23014-5}}
  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=2010|title=The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower|url=https://archive.org/details/girlinalfredhitc00gray|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Berkley Books|isbn=978-0-425-23231-6}}
  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=2012|title=Black Fire: the true story of the original Tom Sawyer|location=New York|publisher=Crown Publishers|isbn=978-0-307-72056-6}}
  • {{cite book|last=Graysmith|first=R.|display-authors=0|date=2021|title=Shooting Zodiac|location=Los Angeles|publisher=Monkey's Paw Publishing, Inc.|isbn=978-1-73658-005-9}}

References

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