William Diehl (1924–2006)

William Francis Diehl was born in Jamaica, New York on December 4, 1924. During World War II, he served as a ball turret gunner on a B-24 Liberator where he flew 24 missions over Germany. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, and Air Medal with three Oak Leaf toon meer Clusters. He received a B.A. in creative writing and history from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1949. He began his writing career in 1949 at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he served as a writer, photojournalist and editor. Additionally, he worked as a freelance photographer and an actor. His articles have appeared in Esquire, Life, Look, and New York. He started writing his first novel, Sharky's Machine, while serving as a juror. The novel was published in 1978 and was later made into a movie. His other works include Chameleon, Hooligans, The Horse, Show of Evil, Reign in Hell, and Eureka. His novel, Primal Fear, also became a movie. He died of aortic embolism on November 24, 2006. His last work, Seven Ways to Die, was completed by Kenneth Atchity and published in 2012. (Bowker Author Biography) toon minder