1967– Film and television actor and model British-born actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje came late to screen acting and made his movie debut in Congo (1995). He has since appeared in The Mummy Returns (2001) and The Bourne Identity (2002), but he is best known as Simon Adebisi in the edgy HBO-TV prison drama Oz (1997–2000) and as "Mr. Eko" in ABC's Lost (2004–…
(Robert W. Alley) Born 0027;s name Zoë Education: Graduated from Haverford College. Agent—Jane Feder, 305 E. 24th St., New York, NY 10010. Illustrator and graphic artist. The Ghost in Dobb's Diner, Parents Magazine Press (New York, NY), 1981. The Silly Riddle Book, Golden (New York, NY), 1981. R.W. Alley Busy Farm Trucks, Grosset &Dunlap (New York, NY), 1986. (Reteller…
Born in Yorkshire, England; Education: University of York, degree (biology). Hobbies and other interests: Cooking, gardening, painting, playing computer games, listening to music, growing carnivorous plants. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Carolrhoda Books/Lerner Publishing Group, 1251 Washington Ave. N, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Writer. Worked as a river surveyor; conservation officer in Nottinghamsh…
Born 1959, in Norsjö, Sweden; Education: Bowdoin College, B.A., 1981; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ed.M., 1986. Agent—Edith Kroll Literary Agency, 12 Grayhurst Park, Portland, ME 04101. Author and illustrator. Conducts workshops for youths and adults. Middle school language arts teacher. Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. The Sailor's Book, Firefly Books (Buffalo…
1959— Independent film producer In the 1990s Stephanie Allain became one of the most respected and powerful producers in Hollywood, holding positions at Warner Brothers, Columbia, and Jim Henson Productions. She became known for her ability to create independent-style films within the studio system, making a huge impact at Columbia as producer of Boyz N the Hood, the 1995 debut of writer an…
Agent—c/o Writers House, 21 West 26th St., New York, NY 10010. Employed in magazine and book publishing, prior to 1955; writer and translator of children's books, 1955—; Bank Street College of Education, New York, NY, Doris Orgel Writer's Lab conductor, 1985-94; Bank Street Publications and Media Group, New York, NY, senior staff writer and editor, 1991-94. Authors…
OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for SATA sketch: Born September 4, 1924, in Rye, Sussex, England; died January 4, 2004, in Petworth, West Sussex, England. Author. Aiken was the creator of fantasy, mystery, historical, and other genre books for both children and adults and was well known for the fictional nineteenth-century world she created, beginning with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, in which…
1976— Author Ali, Hana Yasmeen, photograph. Peter Kramer/Getty Images Hana Yasmeen Ali, the daughter of boxing great Muhammad Ali, helped her father write The Soul of a Butterfly, Reflections on Life's Journey. Published in 2004, the tome is less a recap of the three-time world heavyweight champion's dramatic career than a collection of inspirational anecdotes, spiritua…
Claribel Joy Alegría: 1924—: Poet, novelist. One of the most poignant poets on the subjects of oppression and injustice in the Hispanic world, Claribel Joy Alegría has used her place in the world of literature to speak out against numerous countries and leaders who have misused their power to keep the citizens of Hispanic countries impoverished. Much of her poetry is influ…
1942— Boxer Three-time world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, known for his lyrical charm and boasts as much as for his powerful fists, has moved far beyond the boxing ring in both influence and purpose. Ali won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 and later tossed it into a river because he was disgusted by racism in America. As a young man he was recruited by Malcolm X to join the Natio…
1980— Singer Amerie, photograph. Wenn/Landov. Amerie (pronounced A-Marie) burst onto the music scene at the age of 22 with her chart-topping debut album All I Have. A dedicated singer and student of dance since childhood, she graduated from Georgetown University before launching herself into a music career. "It sounds like a cliché," she said in the biography on Am…
Christina Aguilera: 1980—: Pop singer. Before her twenty-first birthday, Christina Aguilera claimed multiple platinum records, three Grammy Awards, and record sales well over twenty million copies. A former child actor on the Disney series The New Mickey Mouse Club, Aguilera made her first recording as a fourteen-year-old on a duet with Japanese singer Keizo Nakanishi. While the song wa…
Linda Alvarado: 1952—: Entrepreneur. Linda Alvarado personifies the classic American dream. Born to a poor family in New Mexico, she earned an academic scholarship to college and began an unlikely career in the male-dominated construction business. She told the website for the book, American Dreams, that when she opened Alvarado Construction in the early 1970s, "the number of wom…
Nestor Almendros: 1930-1992: Cinematographer. The naturalistic look of modern dramatic films, from European art-house creations to mainstream Hollywood products, is in part the creation of cinematographer Nestor Almendros. A master in the use of natural lighting and in the visual composition of a scene in such a way as to reveal the emotions and motivations of a film's characters, Almen…
Jorge Amado: 1912-2001: Brazilian novelist. "The hero of my novels is the Brazilian people," said novelist Jorge Amado in an interview quoted in the Los Angeles Times. Amado's 32 novels honored the lives of ordinary Brazilians, especially those in Amado's home state of Bahia, with sweeping historical novels and, later in his life, with humorous, lusty romantic tales…
Luis Walter Alvarez: 1911-1988: Nuclear physicist, inventor, educator. One of the most versatile scientists and inventors of the 20th century, Luis Walter Alvarez used his expertise to impact optics, flight, warfare, and the tracking and measurement of subatomic particles. During World War II, he joined the Manhattan Project to further the creation of the atomic bomb. Upon return to research a…
Rudolfo Anaya: 1937—: Author. An acclaimed Chicano writer, Rudolfo Anaya has become best known for his award-winning novels, such as Bless Me, Ultima (1972), Tortuga (1979), and Alburquerque (1992). Anaya, who taught at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque for nineteen years before retiring in 1993, has also published epic poems, short stories, nonfiction, plays, and children�…
Arnoldo Alemán: 1946—: Nicaraguan legislator and former leader. After the people of Nicaragua had endured years of political conflict and sometimes civil war brought to them by the succession of autocratic right-wing and revolutionary left-wing governments under which they had lived for decades, they hoped in the 1990s for stability and for the strengthening of democratic institu…
Isabel Allende: 1942—: Novelist. One of the most popular and widely acclaimed writers in the Western Hemisphere, the Chilean novelist Isabel Allende has been hailed as the creator of a distinctively female voice within the largely male-dominated Latin American literary tradition. In a series of bestselling novels written in the last decades of the twentieth century, Allende mixed elemen…
Carlos Acosta: 1973—: Dancer. In one of the last, largely un-integrated bastions of high culture, Carlos Acosta has been hailed as ballet's next major star. The Cuban-born dancer, of mixed Spanish and African heritage, came to prominence in the early 1990s while still in his teens, and esteemed dance companies in both North America and Europe began offering him lead romantic role…
1977— Cricket player Adams, Paul, photograph. Touchline/Getty Images. With an unusual bowling (pitching) style and skill beyond his years, Paul Adams gained a reputation as an up and coming cricket player in the mid-1990s. His success, however, was hard earned. In high school, opponents often laughed at Adams' method of bowling, and because he did not attend the better-known c…
Pedro Almodóvar: 1951—: Filmmaker. As notorious as he is notable, Pedro Almodóvar, long Spain's reigning king of film, has taken center stage as one of the world's most successful and original directors. His art, borne out of a childhood of bleak villages and Catholic repression, took shape during "la movida," Spain's cultural revolution …
Angeles Alvariño: 1916—: Marine biologist, oceanographer. Dr. Angeles Alvariño, also known by her married name of Angeles Alvariño de Leira, is an expert on marine zooplankton. These are nonphotosynthetic, primarily microscopic organisms that drift in the upper layers of salt water and form the base of the marine food chain. Much of Alvariño's research…
Julia Alvarez: 1950—: Author. Dominican author Julia Alvarez has given voice to the themes of displacement, alienation, and search for identity in her poetry and fiction. Thrown into a foreign language and culture as a child, Alvarez found refuge in books and writing. She discovered through words she could build her own worlds that both revealed and transcended the meaning of her life. …
Born 1947, in New York, NY; Education: Queens College of the City University of New York, B.A., 1968; New York University, M.B.A., 1971; doctoral study, c. 1971-72. Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, reading, photography, political memorabilia, baseball, art. Agent—c/o Writers House, 21 West 26th St., New York, NY 10010. Math teacher in New York, NY, 1968-77; children&#…
Name legally changed; born 1921, in New York, NY; Education: Attended Columbia University. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Broadway Books, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Lee J. Ames Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, CA, artist for animated films, 1939; ran one-man advertising agency, 1947-48; taught vocational art, 1947-48; children's book illustrator, 1948—; Doubleday &…
SOMETHING ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born 1959, in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England; Education: Norwich School of Art, degree in graphic design, 1981. Religion: "I am religious but have no religion." Writer and illustrator. Runner-up, Mother Goose Award, 1985, for Bare Bear; Graphics for Children Prize (with others), Bologna Children's Book Fair, 1987, for The Great Games Book; hig…
Born 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio; Education: University of Connecticut, B.A. Hobbies and other interests: Tennis, playing guitar, biking. Agent—George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic, 65 Bleecker St., New York, NY 10012. Writer; formerly worked in bookstores, a library, and a publishing company. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Connecticut Reading Association, M…
Surname pronounced "a-cre-do-lo"; born 1947, in Buffalo, NY; Education: Bucknell University, B.A. (psychology; cum laude), 1967; Institute of Child Development, Ph.D. (child psychology), 1974; additional study at University of Minnesota. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Unitarian. Office—Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. Agent—Miller Agen…
Cantinflas: 1911-1993: Actor, comedian. The comedic Mexican actor Cantinflas was one of Latin-America's most popular cinematic figures. Using both physical and verbal comedy, Cantinflas embodied the everyday Mexican. His half-century career included 49 films, including the American films Around the World in Eighty Days and Pepe. His comedic journey began in 1930 as a performer in the ca…
SOMETHING ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born 1949, in London, England; Education: Clare College, Cambridge, M.A., 1971; attended Yale University, 1971-73. Agent—Anthony Sheil Associates Ltd., 43 Doughty St., London WC1N 2LF, England. Writer. Spectator, London, England, literary editor, 1973-77, managing editor, 1977-81; Times (London, England), television critic, 1977-81, chief book reviewer, 1986ȁ…
(Kin Eagle, a joint pseudonym) Born 1963, in Princeton, NJ; Education: Boston University, B.S./B.A. Hobbies and other interests: Comic books, cooking, tennis. Home and office—Kids at Our House, 47 Stoneham Pl., Metuchen, NJ 08840. Writer, musician, and children's publishing consultant. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. (With wife, Kimberly Adlerman, under j…
(Kim Adlerman, Kin Eagle, a joint pseudonym) Born 1964, in Niagara Falls, NY; Education: Attended Niagara County Community College; State University of New York at Buffalo, B.F.A. Hobbies and other interests: Tennis, gardening, baking, drawing, antiquing, "hanging out with my kids." Home and office—Kids at Our House, 47 Stoneham Pl., Metuchen, NJ 08840. Graphic designer, art …
Born 0027;s name Mary Ann. Education: Central State University, B. Mus.; attended Manhattan School of Music. Agent—c/o Arnold Adoff, 750 Union St., Yellow Springs, OH 45487. Writer of children and young-adult books, 1998—. Songwriter and musician in a rock band for eight years. Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award honor book designation, International Reading Association notable book d…
Surname is pronounced "Ah-yen-day"; born 1942, in Lima, Peru; Scott (stepson). Education: Educated privately. Agent—Carmen Balcells, Diagonal 580, Barcelona 21, Spain. United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, Santiago, Chile, secretary, 1959-65; Paula magazine, Santiago, journalist, editor, and advice columnist, 1967-74; Mampato magazine, Santiago, journalist, 1969-7…
Nationality: Nigerian. Born: Albert Chinualumogu in Ogidi, 1930. Education: Government College, Umuahia, 1944-47; University College, Ibadan, 1948-53, B.A. (London) 1953. Career: Talks producer, Lagos, 1954-57, controller, Enugu, 1958-61, and director, Voice of Nigeria, Lagos, 1961-66, Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation; chairman, Citadel Books Ltd., Enugu, 1967. Senior research fellow, 1967-73, pr…
Nationality: British. Born: London, 1949. Education: St. Benedict's, Ealing, 1960-67; Clare College, Cambridge, 1968-71; Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Mellon fellow), 1971-73. Career: Literary editor, 1973-77, and joint managing editor, 1978-81, the Spectator, London; chief book reviewer, the Times, London, from 1986; editor, president, and CEO, Tuttle Publishing; editor, Element…
Nationality: Australian. Born: Sydney, 1939. Education: University of Sydney, B.A. (honours) 1962; Columbia University, New York, M.S. 1965. Career: Writing Workshop instructor, Columbia University, New York, and Sarah Lawrence College; fiction writing teacher at University of Technology, Sydney; associate director, Teachers and Writers Collaborative, New York, 1973-76. Awards: Miles Franklin Lite…
Nationality: British. Born: Newbury, Berkshire, 1920. Education: Bradfield College, Berkshire, 1933-38; Worcester College, Oxford, 1938-39, 1946-48, B.A. in modern history 1948, M.A. 1953. Military Service: Served in the British Army, 1940-46. Career: Worked in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, London, 1948-68; Assistant Secretary, Department of the Environment, London, 1968-74. Writer…
(John Michael Allaby) Born 1933, in Belper, Derbyshire, England; Politics: "Left of center." Hobbies and other interests: "Reading (for pleasure as well as work), watching movies, listening to music, gardening, walking (gently!)." Variously employed as police cadet, 1949–51, and actor, 1954–64; Soil Association, Suffolk, England, member of editorial depart…
Nationality: British. Born: East Dereham, Norfolk, 1925. Education: Framlingham College, Suffolk, 1936-39; West Buckland School, 1939-42. Military Service: Served in the Royal Corps of Signals in the Far East, 1943-47. Career: Bookseller, Oxford, 1947-56; literary editor, Oxford Mail, 1958-69; science-fiction editor, Penguin Books, London, 1961-64; art correspondent, Guardian, London, 1969-71. Pre…
Nationality: American. Born: Spokane, Washington, 7 October 1966. Education: Gonzaga University, 1985-87; Washington State University, B.A. 1991. Awards: Poetry fellow, Washington State Arts Commission, 1991; National Endowment for the Arts, 1992; winner, Slipstream's fifth annual chapbook contest, March 1992; American Book Award, 1996. Sherman Alexie, whose works repeatedly underscore the…
Nationality: Canadian. Born: Trinidad, 1957. Career: Playwright, radio writer, poet, and writer of fiction. Awards: Trillium Book Award, 1999. Agent: c/o McClelland & Stewart, Inc., 481 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2E9 Canada. Inclined towards experimental and avant-garde modes in his plays and performance-art collaborations, André Alexis in his fiction both represents and …
Nationality: American. Born: Greenville, South Carolina, 1949. Education: Florida Presbyterian College (now Eckerd College), B.A. 1971; New School for Social Research, M.A. Awards: Lambda Literary awards, 1989 and 1999. Agent: Frances Goldin, 305 East Eleventh Street, New York, New York 10003, U.S.A. Dorothy Allison was born in 1949, to a teenage unwed mother in South Carolina. This fact is centr…
Nationality: American. Born: Lisa Reed in Kingsport, Tennessee, 1944. Education: Wellesley College, Massachusetts, 1962-66, B.A. 1966. Career: Editorial assistant, Atheneum Publishers, New York, 1966; staff writer, Garden Way Publishers, Charlotte, Vermont, 1969-72; visiting lecturer, St. Michael's College, Winooski, Vermont, 1980; book reviewer for newspapers and magazines. Lives in Hinesb…
Nationality: Nigerian. Born: Aluu, 1934. Education: University College, Ibadan, 1955-59, B.Sc. in mathematics and physics 1959. Military Service: Served in the Nigerian Federal Army, 1963-66, 1968-69. Career: Government survey assistant, Calabar, 1953-55, and surveyor, Enugu, 1959-60; science teacher in mission schools, Oba and Ahoada, 1960-63; principal, Asa Grammar School, 1967; administrative o…
OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for SATA sketch: Born September 23, 1924, in Worthing, Sussex, England; died October 11, 2003, in London, England. Author. Alcock was a bestselling author of mystery and fantasy fiction for young adults. Her early training and career, however, was in commercial art, and she attended the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Arts from 1940 to 1942. She left school to be…
Nationality: British. Born: Oxford, 1949; son of Kingsley Amis. Education: Exeter College, Oxford, B.A. (honors) in English 1971. Career: Editorial assistant, Times Literary Supplement, London, 1972-75; assistant literary editor, 1975-77, and literary editor, 1977-79, New Statesman, London. Since 1979 full-time writer. Lives in London. Awards: Maugham award, 1974. Agent: Andrew Wylie, New York, Ne…
Nationality: Indian. Born: Peshawar, 1905. Education: Khalsa College, Amritsar; Punjab University, 1921-24, B.A. (honours) 1924; University College, University of London, 1926-29, Ph.D.; Cambridge University, 1929-30; League of Nations School of Intellectual Cooperation, Geneva, 1930-32. Career: Lecturer, School of Intellectual Cooperation, Summer 1930, and Workers Educational Association, London,…
Nationality: American. Born: Pastura, New Mexico, 30 October 1937. Education: Albuquerque High School, graduated 1956; Browning Business School, Albuquerque, 1956-58; University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, B.A. in literature 1963, M.A. in literature 1968, M.A. in guidance and counseling 1972. Career: Teacher, Albuquerque public schools, 1963-70. Director of Counseling, 1971-73, associate professor…
(Lynn Abbey) Born 1948, in Peekskill, NY; Education: University of Rochester, A.B., 1969; New York University, M.A., 1971. Hobbies and other interests: "History (particularly eleventh century and the Normans), embroidery." Agent—Spectrum Literary Agency, 432 Park Ave. S., Suite 1205, New York, NY 10016. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York, NY, actuarial assistant, 1…
SOMETHING ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born 1933, in Bronx, NY; Education: Received degree from Hunter College (now Hunter College of the City University of New York), 1954. Agent—Amy Berkower, Writers House Inc., 21 West 26th St., New York, NY 10010. Musician, photographer, children's book author. Houston Symphony, Houston, TX, assistant first clarinetist, 1956-57; photographer, 1967—; w…
Born 1951, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England; Education: University of East Anglia, B.A. (with honors). Hobbies and other interests: Walking, listening to music, traveling, spending time with family. Agent—c/o Hodder Children's Books, Publicity Department, 338 Euston Rd., London NW1 3BH, England. Teacher in primary, adult, and special-education schools in England; Panurge (fiction mag…
(Robert Irving) Born 1913, in New York, NY; Education: City College of New York, B.S. (magna cum laude), 1931; Columbia University, M.A., 1938, Ph.D., 1961. Hobbies and other interests: Gardening. Teacher of mathematics in New York City high schools, 1932–52; writer and lecturer, 1952–; instructor at Columbia University, 1957–60, Bennington College, Bennington, VT, 1961, and S…
1881–1950 Architect Julian Abele was the first African-American architect to attain professional acclaim. He enjoyed a long and illustrious career at a prominent Philadelphia firm, and many of the buildings that bear his design stamp have endured to become American landmarks. They include many of the buildings on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, as well as the Philad…
1944– Dancer and choreographer Senegalese dancer and choreographer Germaine Acogny is known as "the mother of African dance." She established her first dance studio in Senegal's capital, Dakar, in 1968 and has since become a major figure in African dance, blending contemporary dance with traditional African styles. She has been choreographer and artistic director of man…
1960– Wine expert, educator Allen-Buillard, Melba, photograph. Courtesy of Randy McCrea. Reproduced by permission. A former model with a growing reputation as a consultant and instructor in wine appreciation, Melba Allen-Buillard has worked for some of the most prestigious institutions in the French wine and food industry, including the Institut Vatel in Lyon, and the European Centre of Int…
Born 1949, in Grand Rapids, MI; Education: University of Michigan, B.F.A., 1972; Rhode Island School of Design, M.F.A., 1975. Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: "When I'm not drawing, I enjoy taking walks and going to museums. I play tennis a few times a week, like to sail—although I have fewer opportunities to do it now (I used to have more friends with boats). I …
Born 1960, in Nyack, NY; Education: Cooper Union School of Art, B.F.A. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Hyperion Books, 114 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011. Author and illustrator of children's books. If Snow Falls: A Story for December, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1982. Ellsworth, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1983. Ludlow Laughs, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1985. The Incredible Pai…
Agent— Richard Huttner, 330 East 33rd St., New York, NY 10016. Elementary school teacher in Poughkeepsie, NY, 1950-52, and White Plains, NY 1952-53; private remedial reading teacher, 1953-60; writer, 1968—. Authors Guild, Authors League of America, Phi Beta Kappa. But I'm Ready to Go, Bradbury Press (Scarsdale, NY), 1976. Less than Perfect, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2003. …
Born 1938, in England; Education: Sunderland College of Education, certificate in education, 1966. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Walker Books, 87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ, England. Children's book author. Worked variously as a letter carrier, grave digger, soldier, plumber's helper, and teacher; full-time writer, beginning 1975. Commendation, British Library Association (BLA), …
