Ira Levin

Biography:

Ira Marvin Levin was an American novelist, dramatist, and composer who lived from August 27, 1929, until November 12, 2007. The books A Kiss Before Dying (1953), Rosemary's Baby (1967), The Stepford Wives (1972), and The Boys from Brazil (1976), as well as the play Deathtrap (1978), are among his best-known works. Many of his novels and plays have been successfully turned into films.

Levin's debut novel, A Kiss Before Dying (1953), garnered positive reviews and earned him the Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1954. A Kiss Before Dying was made twice into films, the first in 1956 and the second in 1991.

Rosemary's Baby is Levin's best-known novel, a horror-thriller set in Manhattan's Upper West Side about modern-day Satanism and other occultisms. Roman Polanski wrote and filmed a film adaptation of it in 1968. Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes are featured in the film. Ruth Gordon's performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from another Medium was nominated for Roman Polanski.

In 2002, Levin stated, "I feel guilty that 'Rosemary's Baby' led to The Exorcist, The Omen. A whole generation has been exposed, has more belief in Satan. I don't believe in Satan. And I feel that the strong fundamentalism we have would not be as strong if there hadn't been so many of these books [...] Of course, I didn't send back any of the royalty checks."

The Stepford Wives was made into a film in 1975, and then it was adapted again into a film in 2004. In 1978, The Boys from Brazil was turned into a film.

Levin continued to write successful novels in the 1990s, including Sliver (1991), which was made into a film by Phillip Noyce in 1993. Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, and Tom Berenger appeared in the film. Rosemary's Baby's sequel, His Son of Rosemary (1997), was suggested. It was never made into a movie.

Ira Levin has been dubbed the "Swiss watchmaker" of suspense novels by Stephen King: "Every novel he has ever written has been a marvel of plotting. He is the Swiss watchmaker of the suspense novel; he makes what the rest of us do look like those five-dollar watches you can buy in the discount drug stores."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -