James Leasor

James Leasor (20 December 1923 – 10 September 2007) was a prolific British author who wrote historical books and thrillers, and was one of the best-selling British authors of the 20th century. After beginning his writing career as a journalist he wrote more than 50 books, some of which were made into films, including his 1978 historical novel Boarding Party, the story of a secret incident from the Second World War, which became The Sea Wolves (1980) starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. Thomas James Leasor was born on 20 December 1923 in Erith, Kent, the younger of two children of Richard Leasor and Christina Hall. His father was from Lancashire and his mother was Scottish. He was educated at the City of London School, and studied medicine for a short time after leaving school before being employed in 1941-42 as a reporter on the Kentish Times.