Biography
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer of sensational detective, gangster, adventure and sci-fi novels, plays and stories.
Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during the Second Boer War for Reuters and the Daily Mail. Struggling with debt, he left South Africa, returned to London and began writing thrillers to raise income, publishing books including The Four Just Men (1905). Drawing on his time as a reporter in the Congo, covering the Belgian atrocities, Wallace serialised short stories in magazines such as The Windsor Magazine and later published collections such as Sanders of the River (1911). He signed with Hodder and Stoughton in 1921 and became an internationally recognised author.
After an unsuccessful bid to stand as Liberal MP for Blackpool (as one of David Lloyd George's Independent Liberals) in the 1931 general election, Wallace moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a script writer for RKO. He died suddenly from undiagnosed diabetes, during the initial drafting of King Kong (1933).
Wallace was such a prolific writer that one of his publishers claimed that a quarter of all books in England were written by him. As well as journalism, Wallace wrote screen plays, poetry, historical non-fiction, 18 stage plays, 957 short stories and over 170 novels, 12 in 1929 alone. More than 160 films have been made of Wallace's work.In addition to his work on King Kong, he is remembered as a writer of "the colonial imagination", for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, and for The Green Archer serial. He sold over 50 million copies of his combined works in various editions and The Economist in 1997 describes him as "one of the most prolific thriller writers of [the 20th] century", although the great majority of his books are out of print in the UK, but are still read in Germany. A 50-minute German TV documentary was made in 1963 called The Edgar Wallace Story, which featured his son Bryan Edgar Wallace.
Filmography
all 185
Movies 185
Writer 177
Director 2
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Le mystère des jonquilles (2014)
The Vexxer (2007)
Kong: Return to the Jungle (2006)
King Kong (2005)
The Lost Spider Pit Sequence (2005)
Kong: King of Atlantis (2005)
The Trixxer (2004)
Whiteface (2002)
Das Haus der toten Augen (2002)
Die vier Gerechten (2002)
Das Schloss des Grauens (2002)
The Mighty Kong (1998)
Der Blinde (1996)
Das Karussell des Todes (1996)
Die Katze von Kensington (1996)
The Revenge of the Living Dead Girls (1987)
King Kong Lives (1986)
Das Geheimnis von Lismore Castle (1986)
Die Schokoladenschnüffler (1986)
Trip to Bangkok, Coffin included (1985)
Růžový Hubert (1985)
Blood on My Shoes (1983)
Voces de muerte (1983)
The Case of the Frightened Lady (1983)
King Kong (1976)
Night of the Skull (1974)
What Have You Done to Solange? (1972)
Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972)
The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971)
Angels of Terror (1971)
The Devil Came from Akasava (1971)
Double Face (1969)
The Man with the Glass Eye (1969)
Gorilla Gang (1968)
The Zombie Walks (1968)
L'oro di Londra (1968)
The Monster of Blackwood Castle (1968)
The College Girl Murders (1967)
Five Golden Dragons (1967)
King Kong Escapes (1967)
Creature with the Blue Hand (1967)
The Trygon Factor (1966)
The Hunchback of Soho (1966)
Circus of Fear (1966)
The Sinister Monk (1965)
Again the Ringer (1965)
Coast of Skeletons (1965)
Traitor's Gate (1964)
The Main Chance (1964)
Face of a Stranger (1964)
The Mysterious Magician (1964)
The Curse of the Hidden Vault (1964)
We Shall See (1964)
Room 13 (1964)
The Verdict (1964)
Downfall (1964)
Death Drums Along the River (1963)
Five to One (1963)
The Indian Scarf (1963)
The Black Abbot (1963)
To Have and to Hold (1963)
The Mysterious Magician (1963)
The Rivals (1963)
The Squeaker (1963)
The Double (1963)
Return to Sender (1963)
The Curse of the Yellow Snake (1963)
On the Run (1963)
The Partner (1963)
The Set Up (1963)
Accidental Death (1963)
Ricochet (1963)
Incident at Midnight (1963)
The £20,000 Kiss (1962)
Death Trap (1962)
The Inn on the River (1962)
Solo for Sparrow (1962)
Playback (1962)
Locker Sixty-Nine (1962)
Time to Remember (1962)
The Door with Seven Locks (1962)
Number Six (1962)
Secret of the Red Orchid (1962)
The Share Out (1962)
Flat Two (1962)
Backfire! (1962)
Candidate for Murder (1962)
The Sinister Man (1961)
Never Back Losers (1961)
The Strange Countess (1961)
Man Detained (1961)
The Forger of London (1961)
Attempt to Kill (1961)
Clue of the Silver Key (1961)
The Devil's Daffodil (1961)
The Fourth Square (1961)
Dead Eyes of London (1961)
The Green Archer (1961)
Clue of the New Pin (1961)
Partners in Crime (1961)
The Malpas Mystery (1960)
Crossroads to Crime (1960)
Marriage of Convenience (1960)
The Man Who Was Nobody (1960)
Clue of the Twisted Candle (1960)
The Terrible People (1960)
The Avenger (1960)
The Red Circle (1960)
Urge to Kill (1960)
Fellowship of the Frog (1959)
The Man Who Changed His Name (1958)
Der Hexer (1956)
The Ringer (1952)
The Calendar (1948)
The Missing Million (1942)
The Green Archer (1940)
The Door with Seven Locks (1940)
The Flying Squad (1940)
The Case of the Frightened Lady (1940)
The Mind of Mr. Reeder (1940)
A Criminal at Large (1939)
The Human Monster (1939)
The Four Just Men (1939)
The Missing People (1939)
Flying Fifty-Five (1939)
Old Bones of the River (1938)
The Return of the Frog (1938)
The Gaunt Stranger (1938)
Thank Evans (1938)
The Terror (1938)
Kate Plus Ten (1938)
Dangerous to Know (1938)
Mr. Reeder in Room 13 (1938)
The Squeaker (1937)
The Frog (1937)
Chick (1936)
Educated Evans (1936)
The Crimson Circle (1936)
Prison Breaker (1936)
Born to Gamble (1935)
Sanders of the River (1935)
The Lad (1935)
The Feathered Serpent (1934)
Return of the Terror (1934)
Mystery Liner (1934)
The Man Who Changed His Name (1934)
Der Doppelgänger (1934)
Giallo (1934)
Quelqu'un a tué... (1934)
The Jewel (1933)
Before Dawn (1933)
King Kong (1933)
Le jugement de minuit (1933)
The Ringer (1932)
The Flying Squad (1932)
White Face (1932)
The Frightened Lady (1932)
The Menace (1932)
The Old Man (1931)
The Calendar (1931)
The Squeeker (1931)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1931)
The Ringer (1931)
To Oblige a Lady (1931)
Red Aces (1930)
Should a Doctor Tell? (1930)
The Yellow Mask (1930)
The Squeaker (1930)
The Valley of Ghosts (1930)
The Wrecker (1929)
The Crimson Circle (1929)
The Clue of the New Pin (1929)
The Terror (1928)
The Ringer (1928)
Der große Unbekannte (1927)
The Green Archer (1925)
The Flying Fifty-Five (1924)
The Diamond Man (1924)
The Crimson Circle (1922)
Down Under Donovan (1922)
The Four Just Men (1921)
Wanted at Headquarters (1920)
The Double (1916)
Nurse and Martyr (1915)
Ratings
Information
Known ForWriting
GenderMale
Birthday1875-04-01
Deathday1932-02-10 (56 years old)
Birth NameRichard Horatio Edgar Wallace
Birth PlaceGreenwich, United Kingdom
ChildrenPenelope Wallace, Bryan Edgar Wallace
FatherRichard Horatio Marriott Edgar
CitizenshipsUnited Kingdom
Also Known AsRichard Horatio Edgar Wallace
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