Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while

autobiographer An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

s are authors who write their own biography.

Biographers

Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome, Au=Austria, AH=Austria/Hungary, Ca=Canada, En=England, Fl=Finland, Fr=France, Ge=Germany, Id=Indonesia, In=India, Ir=Ireland, Is=Israel, Jp=Japan, Nw=Norway, SA=South Africa, Sc=Scotland, SL=Sierra Leone, So=Somalia, Sp=Spain, Sw=Sweden, TT=Trinidad & Tobago, US=United States, Ve=Venezuela, Wl=Wales

A–G

Hermann Abert Hermann Abert (; 25 March 1871 – 13 August 1927) was a German historian of music. Life Abert was born in Stuttgart, the son of Johann Josef Abert (1832–1915), the ''Hofkapellmeister'' of that city. From 1890 to 1896 he studied classical ...

(Ge, 1871–1927) –

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

Niccolò Jommelli Niccolò Jommelli (; 10 September 1714 – 25 August 1774) was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School. Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he was responsible for certain operatic reforms including redu ...

W. A. Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

Alfred Ainger Alfred Ainger (9 February 18378 February 1904) was an English biographer and critic. Biography The son of an architect in London, he was educated at University College School, King's College London and Trinity College, Cambridge, from where he ...

(En, 1837–1904) – Charles Lamb *

Ellis Amburn Ellis Edward Amburn (2 August 1933 – 18 August 2018) was an American book editor and biographer. Life A 1954 graduate of Texas Christian University, Ellis Amburn worked as a reporter for ''Newsweek'' before going into the book publishing indus ...

(US, 1933–2018) –

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

, Warren Beatty and

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

* Rudolph Angermüller (Ge, born 1940) – Antonio Salieri,

Núria Añó Núria Añó (, ; born 1973) is a Catalan writer and a translator. Añó has exhibited her work in universities and institutions giving papers on literary creation or authors like Elfriede Jelinek, Patricia Highsmith, Salka Viertel, Franz Werf ...

(Sp. born 1973) –

Salka Viertel Salka Viertel (15 June 1889 – 20 October 1978) was an Austrian Jewish actress and Hollywood screenwriter. While under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1933 to 1937, Viertel co-wrote the scripts for many movies, particularly those starr ...

* Marie Célestine Amélie d'Armaillé (1830–1918) –

Catherine de Bourbon Catherine de Bourbon (7 February 1559 – 13 February 1604) was a Navarrese regent princess. She was the daughter of Queen Joan III and King Anthony of Navarre. She ruled the principality of Béarn in the name of her brother, King Henry III ...

Élisabeth of France Élisabeth Philippe Marie Hélène of France (3 May 1764 – 10 May 1794) was a French princess. She was the youngest child of Louis, Dauphin of France, and Duchess Maria Josepha of Saxony, and she was a sister of King Louis XVI. Élisab ...

, Marie Leszczyńska,

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

Marie-Thérèse, Duchess of Angoulême Marie-Thérèse Charlotte (19 December 1778 – 19 October 1851) was the eldest child of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette of France. In 1799 she married her cousin Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, the eldest son of Charles, Count o ...

, Septimanie d'Egmont), Désirée Clary *

Rosemary Ashton Rosemary Doreen Ashton, (''née'' Thomson; born 11 April 1947) is a Scottish literary scholar. From 2002 to 2012, she was the Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London. Her reviews appear in the '' London Re ...

(Sc/En, born 1947) – George Eliot *

Deborah Baker Deborah Baker is an American biographer and essayist. She is the author of ''A Blue Hand: The Beats in India'', a biography of Allen Ginsberg that focuses on his time in India and of ''In Extremis: The Life of Laura Riding'', a finalist for the P ...

(US, living) – Allen Ginsberg and Laura Riding *Lady

Elizabeth Philippa Biddulph Lady Elizabeth Philippa Biddulph (, Yorke, after first marriage, Adeane, after second marriage, Biddulph; 15 November 1834 – January 1916) was an English humanitarian and temperance leader. She published a biography of her father, Charles Yorke ...

(En, 1834–1916) –

Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke Admiral Charles Philip Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke, PC (2 April 1799 – 17 September 1873) was a British naval commander and Conservative politician. Background Born at Sydney Lodge, in Hamble le Rice, Hardwicke was the eldest son of Admira ...

* Jennie M. Bingham (US, 1859–1933) — Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, Charlotte Brontë,

Margaret Fuller Sarah Margaret Fuller (May 23, 1810 – July 19, 1850), sometimes referred to as Margaret Fuller Ossoli, was an American journalist, editor, critic, translator, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movemen ...

, Charles Lamb,

Briton Rivière Briton Rivière (14 August 1840 in London20 April 1920 in London) was a British artist of Huguenot descent. He exhibited a variety of paintings at the Royal Academy, but devoted much of his life to animal paintings. Biography Briton's fat ...

* Lucie Boissonnas (1839–1877) –

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (New Style, N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the Englis ...

(Sc, 1740–1795) –

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

Paula Broadwell Paula Dean Broadwell (née Kranz; born November 9, 1972) is an American writer, academic and former military officer. Broadwell served in the US Army on both active and reserve duty for over 20 years, including time as a military school undergrad ...

(US, born 1972) – David Petraeus * Max Brod (AH/Is, 1884–1968) – Franz Kafka * Leslie Brody (US, born 1952) –

Jessica Mitford Jessica Lucy "Decca" Treuhaft (née Freeman-Mitford, later Romilly; 11 September 1917 – 23 July 1996) was an English author, one of the six aristocratic Mitford sisters noted for their sharply conflicting politics. Jessica married her second ...

Vincent Brome Vincent Brome (14 July 1910 – 16 October 2004) was an English writer, who gradually established himself as a man of letters. He is best known for a series of biographies of politicians, writers and followers of Sigmund Freud. He also wrote nu ...

(En, 1910–2004) – various writers * Egerton Brydges (En, 1762–1837) – English writers *

Andrea Cagan Andrea Cagan is an American writer, biographer and ghostwriter. She has edited and collaborated on more than fifteen books, including biographies of Diana Ross, Grace Slick, Joan Lunden and Prem Rawat. She has brought a dozen books to the bes ...

(US, living) –

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

* Thomas Carlyle (Sc, 1795–1881) – John Sterling and Frederick the Great * Robert A. Caro (US, born 1935) –

Robert Moses Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid 20th century. Despite never being elected to any office, Moses is regarded ...

and Lyndon B. Johnson * Humphrey Carpenter (En, 1946–2005) – J. R. R. Tolkien, W. H. Auden,

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...

, Evelyn Waugh, Benjamin Britten Robert Runcie and

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...

Virginia Spencer Carr Virginia Spencer Carr (July 21, 1929 – April 10, 2012) was a biographer of Carson McCullers, John Dos Passos and Paul Bowles. Carr was also a college professor for more than 25 years at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, and Geo ...

(US, 1929–2012) – Carson McCullers,

Paul Bowles Paul Frederic Bowles (; December 30, 1910November 18, 1999) was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator. He became associated with the Moroccan city of Tangier, where he settled in 1947 and lived for 52 years to the end of his ...

and John Dos Passos *

Charles Castle Charles Castle (26 May 1939 – 5 October 2013) was a South African-born British tap dancer, writer and television producer. without paywall via ''Irish Independent'', 27 October 2013) Castle produced two documentaries, ''This Was Richard Tauber ...

(En, 1939–2013) –

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

, Joan Crawford, Oliver Messel,

Margaret, Duchess of Argyll Ethel Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll (''née'' Whigham, formerly Sweeny; 1 December 1912 – 25 July 1993) was a Scottish heiress, socialite, and aristocrat who was most famous for her 1951 marriage and much-publicised 1963 divorce fro ...

La Belle Otero Agustina del Carmen Otero Iglesias (4 November 1868 – 10 April 1965), better known as Carolina Otero or La Belle Otero, was a Spanish actress, dancer and courtesan. She had a reputation for great beauty and was famous for her numerous lovers. ...

, Richard Tauber * George Cavendish (En, 1494 – c. 1562) – Thomas Wolsey *

Nirad C. Chaudhuri Nirad Chandra Chaudhuri CBE (23 November 1897 – 1 August 1999) was an Indian writer. In 1990, Oxford University awarded Chaudhuri, by then a long-time resident of the city of Oxford, an Honorary Degree in Letters. In 1992, he was made an hono ...

(In, 1897–1999) – Clive of India and Max Müller * Ron Chernow (US, born 1949) * Na Chokkan (In, born 1977) – Sachin Tendulkar, Dhirubhai Ambani,

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

Rahul Dravid Rahul Sharad Dravid (; born 11 January 1973) is an Indian cricket coach and former captain of the Indian national team, currently serving as its head coach. Prior to his appointment to the senior men's national team, Dravid was the Head of ...

, Azim Premji, Lakshmi Mittal, Walt Disney etc. in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

* Vincent Cronin (En, 1924–2011) –

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, Louis XVI and

and

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

Douglas Day Douglas Turner Day III (1 May 1932 – 10 October 2004) was an American novelist, biographer, scholar and critic. He was a popular professor of English literaturei.e. Literature in the English language at the University of Virginia, where he ta ...

(US, 1932–2004) –

Malcolm Lowry Clarence Malcolm Lowry (; 28 July 1909 – 26 June 1957) was an English poet and novelist who is best known for his 1947 novel ''Under the Volcano'', which was voted No. 11 in the Modern Library 100 Best Novels list.

* Thomas DiLorenzo (US, born 1954) – Abraham Lincoln *

Damon DiMarco Damon DiMarco (born October 16, 1971), is a New York City author, actor, playwright, and historian. His oral history work has been compared to that of Studs Terkel. He was born on Princeton, New Jersey. Oral histories DiMarco's oral histories ...

(US, born 1971) – Roy Simmons * Richard Ellmann (US, 1918–1987) – James Joyce,

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

and

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

Alberthiene Endah Rr. Alberthiene Endah Kusumawardhani Hilaul-Sutoyo (16 September), better known as Alberthiene Endah, is an Indonesian biographer, novelist, and journalist. She is known for her in-depth biographies of Indonesian celebrities, such as Chrisye and ...

(Id, living) –

Chrisye Hajji Chrismansyah Rahadi (; 16 September 1949 – 30 March 2007), born Christian Rahadi (), better known by his stage name Chrisye (), was an Indonesian progressive pop singer and songwriter. In 2011 ''Rolling Stone Indonesia'' declared hi ...

, Krisdayanti and Raam Punjabi * Ivar Eskeland (Nw, 1927–2005) – decorated with the Order of the Falcon and winner of the Bastian Prize for his biographies of Gisle Straume and

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...

Wayne Federman Wayne Federman (born June 22, 1959) is an Emmy Award winning American comedian, actor, author, writer, comedy historian, producer, and musician. He is noted for numerous stand-up comedy appearances in clubs, theaters, and on television; his book ...

(US, born 1959) – Pete Maravich * Elaine Feinstein (En, 1930–2019) – Marina Tsvetaeva, Pushkin, Ted Hughes *

Mary Fels Mary Fels (, Fels; March 10, 1863 - May 16, 1953) was a German-born American philanthropist, Georgism, Georgist, Zionism, Zionist, Women's suffrage in the United States, suffragist, economics, economist, author, and journal editor. She was interest ...

(US, 1863–1953) – Joseph Fels *

Kitty Ferguson Kitty Gail Ferguson (née Vetter, born December 16, 1941) is an American science writer, lecturer, and former professional musician. She has written several science books for lay persons and youth, including books on biographical facts and the so ...

(US, born 1941) – Stephen Hawking * William Fitzstephen (En, died 1190) – Thomas Becket * Amanda Foreman (En/US, born 1968) – Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire *

Esther G. Frame Esther G. Frame (, Gordon; July 10, 1840 – June 11, 1920) was an American minister and evangelist. She was a minister of the Quakers, Society of Friends church for over 40 years, often working closely with ministers of other denominations. ''Th ...

(US, 1840–1920) –

* Antonia Fraser (En, born 1932) – Mary, Queen of Scots and Oliver Cromwell *

Russell Freedman Russell A. Freedman (October 11, 1929 – March 16, 2018) was an American biographer and the author of nearly 50 books for young people. He may be known best for winning the 1988 Newbery Medal with his work '' Lincoln: A Photobiography''. ...

(US, 1929–2018) – Abraham Lincoln * Douglas Southall Freeman (US, 1886–1953) –

and

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

Leonie Frieda Leonie Frieda (born 1956) a former model, translator, and writer, working and living in the United Kingdom. She is the daughter of Swedish aristocrats. Educated in the UK, France and Germany, Frieda speaks five languages. Her first book was a ...

(Sw/En, born 1956) –

Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...

Jean Overton Fuller Jean Overton Fuller (7 March 1915 – 8 April 2009) was a British author best known for her book ''Madeleine'', the story of Noor Inayat Khan, an Allied SOE agent during the Second World War. Biography Fuller was born in England on 7 March 1915, ...

(En, 1915–2009) –

Noor-un-nisa Inayat Khan Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, George Cross, GC (1 January 1914 – 13 September 1944), also known as Nora Inayat-Khan and Nora Baker, was a British resistance agent in France in World War II who served in the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The ...

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...

Algernon Charles Swinburne Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote several novels and collections of poetry such as ''Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition ...

and Sir Francis Bacon *

Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many st ...

(En, 1810–1865) – Charlotte Brontë *

Peter Gay Peter Joachim Gay (né Fröhlich; June 20, 1923 – May 12, 2015) was a German-American historian, educator, and author. He was a Sterling Professor of History at Yale University and former director of the New York Public Library's Center for Sch ...

(US, 1923–2015) – Sigmund Freud and

* Gary Giddins (US, born 1948) –

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

, Charlie Parker and

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

* Martin Gilbert (En, 1936–2015)

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

* Annie Somers Gilchrist (US, 1841–1912) * Josef Greiner (Au, c. 1886–1947) – Adolf Hitler * Adrian Greenwood (En, 1973–2016) – Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde * Peter Guralnick (US, born 1943) – Elvis Presley and Sam Phillips

H–M

Seppo Heikinheimo Seppo Erkki Sakari Heikinheimo (3 June 1938 – 26 May 1997) was a Finnish musicologist, music journalist, writer and translator. Seppo Heikinheimo's father was the pianist Sakari Heikinheimo. Seppo begun his piano studies with Erik Tawaststjerna ...

(Fl, 1938–1997) – Aarre Merikanto,

Oskar Merikanto Oskar Merikanto (; born Frans Oskar Ala-Kanto; 5 August 1868, Helsinki17 February 1924, Hausjärvi-Oitti) was a Finnish composer, music critic, pianist, and organist. As a composer, Merikanto was primarily a miniaturist, and includes songs an ...

and

Martti Talvela Martti Olavi Talvela (4 February 1935 – 22 July 1989) was a Finnish operatic bass. Born in Hiitola, Finland (now in the Republic of Karelia), the eighth of ten children

* Charles Higham (England/US, 1931–2012) – Errol Flynn, Howard Hughes and

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

Thomas Jefferson Hogg Thomas Jefferson Hogg (24 May 1792 – 27 August 1862) was a British barrister and writer best known for his friendship with the Romantic poetry, Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Hogg was raised in County Durham, but spent most of hi ...

(En, 1792–1862) –

* Richard Holmes (England, born 1945) – Mary Shelley, Coleridge, ''The Age of Wonder'' *

Michael Holroyd Sir Michael de Courcy Fraser Holroyd (born 27 August 1935) is an English biographer. Early life and education Holroyd was born in London, the son of Basil de Courcy Fraser Holroyd (a descendant of Sir George Sowley Holroyd, Justice of the King' ...

(En, born 1935) – Lytton Strachey *

Imogen Holst Imogen Clare Holst (; 12 April 1907 – 9 March 1984) was a British composer, arranger, conductor, teacher, musicologist, and festival administrator. The only child of the composer Gustav Holst, she is particularly known for her education ...

(En, 1907–1984) – Gustav Holst * Marilla Baker Ingalls (US, 1828–1902) – Mah Po * Walter Isaacson (US, born 1952) – Benjamin Franklin,

Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a ...

and Henry Kissinger * Edward Jablonski (US, 1922–2004) – George Gershwin and Irving Berlin * Elizabeth Jenkins (En, 1905–2010) –

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

, Henry Fielding, Lady Caroline Lamb Joseph Lister and Elizabeth I *

(En, 1709–1784) – '' Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets'' * Ernest Jones (Wl, 1879–1958) – Sigmund Freud * Kathleen Jones (EnAl, born 1946) – Katherine Mansfield * Landon Jones (US, living) – William Clark *

Kitty Kelley Katherine Kelley (born April 4, 1942) is an American journalist and author of best-selling unauthorized biographies of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Reagan, the British Royal Family, the Bush family, and ...

(US, born 1942) –

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

and

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in N ...

Jacqueline Kent Jacqueline Frances Kent (born 1947) is an Australian journalist, biographer and non-fiction writer. She is also known as Jacquie Kent, the name she used when writing young adult fiction in the 1990s and sometimes writes as Frances Cook. Career ...

(Al, born 1947) – Kenneth Cook,

Beatrice Davis Beatrice Deloitte Davis (28 January 1909 – 24 May 1992) was Australia's first full-time book editor, appointed by Angus & Robertson in 1937. She nurtured a generation of writers and "helped shape Australian literature for half a century". ...

Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, holding office as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She is the first and only ...

and Hephzibah Menuhin *

Harriette A. Keyser Harriette A. Keyser (July 27, 1841 – October 9, 1936) was an American industrial reformer, social worker, and author. Keyser was a prominent figure in the struggle for the betterment of industrial conditions. It was through her efforts, that many ...

(US, 1841–1936) —

Henry C. Potter Henry Codman Potter (May 25, 1834 – July 21, 1908) was a bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. He was the seventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Potter was "more praised and appreciated, perhaps, than any public man ...

* Marvin Kitman (US, born 1929) –

and Bill O'Reilly * Edward Klein (US, born 1937) – Hillary Clinton * Randy Kryn (US, born 1949) — James Bevel * Robert Lacey (En, born 1944) – Elizabeth II,

Princess Grace Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, Henry Ford and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex * Jane Lane (En, 1905–1978) – Titus Oates * Hermione Lee (En, born 1948) –

Edith Wharton Edith Wharton (; born Edith Newbold Jones; January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and interior designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray ...

, Virginia Woolf * Sidney Lee (En, 1856–1926) –

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

, William Shakespeare and Queen Victoria *

J. Michael Lennon J. Michael Lennon is an American academic and writer who is the Emeritus Professor of English at Wilkes University and the late Norman Mailer’s archivist and authorized biographer. He published Mailer's official biography ''Norman Mailer: A Dou ...

(US, born 1942) –

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...

* Santeri Levas (Fl, 1899–1987) – Clara &

, Jean Sibelius * Barbara Levick (En, born 1932) – specialising in Roman emperors * Gail Levin (US, born 1948) – Edward Hopper, Judy Chicago and Lee Krasner * Roger Lewis (Wl, born 1960) – Anthony Burgess *

Martha D. Lincoln Martha D. Lincoln (1838 – October 6, 1911) was an American author and journalist of the long nineteenth century, widely known by her pen name, Bessie Beech. In 1882, she co-founded the Woman's National Press Association, which was the first cha ...

(US, 1838–?) — John Wesley Powell * Kenneth S. Lynn (US, 1923–2001) –

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

and Ernest Hemingway *

Brenda Maddox Brenda, Lady Maddox ( Murphy; February 24, 1932 – June 16, 2019) was an American writer and biographer, who spent most of her adult life living and working in the UK, from 1959 until her death. She is best known for her biographies, includin ...

(US/E, 1932–2019) –

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

, Nora Joyce,

and

Rosalind Franklin Rosalind Elsie Franklin (25 July 192016 April 1958) was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, co ...

(US, 1923–2007) – Marilyn Monroe, Lee Harvey Oswald and Gary Gilmore * Koryun (Am, 5th century) – Mesrop Mashtots *

William Manchester William Raymond Manchester (April 1, 1922 – June 1, 2004) was an American author, biographer, and historian. He was the author of 18 books which have been translated into over 20 languages. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal and the ...

(US, 1922–2004) –

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

and John F. Kennedy *

Cristina Marcano Cristina Marcano (born 1960), is a biographer of former Venezuelan President of Venezuela, President Hugo Chávez. Along with Alberto Barrera Tyszka, she authored ''Hugo Chávez Sin Uniforme: Una Historia Personal'', which was published in 2005 by ...

(Ve, born 1960) –

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...

* Bruce Marshall (Sc, 1899–1987) – Wing Commander

F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas Wing Commander Forest Frederick Edward Yeo-Thomas, (17 June 1902 – 26 February 1964), known as "Tommy", was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent in the Second World War. Codenamed "Seahorse" and "Shelley" in the SOE, Yeo-Thomas ...

John Matteson John Matteson (born March 3, 1961) is an American professor of English and legal writing at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for his first book, '' Eden's Outc ...

(US, born 1961) –

Amos Bronson Alcott Amos Bronson Alcott (; November 29, 1799 – March 4, 1888) was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and av ...

Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Little Men'' (1871) and ''Jo's Boys'' (1886). Raised in ...

and

André Maurois André Maurois (; born Émile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog; 26 July 1885 – 9 October 1967) was a French author. Biography Maurois was born on 26 July 1885 in Elbeuf and educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen, both in Normandy. A member of ...

(Fr, 1885–1967) –

, Lord Byron,

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

, Balzac and Sir Alexander Fleming * David McCullough (US, 1933–2022) –

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

, John Adams and Theodore Roosevelt * Merle Miller (US, 1919–1986) –

and Lyndon B. Johnson *

James McGrath Morris James McGrath Morris (born 1954) is an American biographer. Biography Morris was raised in Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium; and Washington, DC. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree at American University and a master's degree at George Was ...

(US, born 1954) – Joseph Pulitzer,

Charles Chapin Charles E. Chapin (October 19, 1858 – December 13, 1930) was a New York editor of Joseph Pulitzer’s Evening World. He was convicted of the murder of his wife and sentenced to a 20-year-to-life term in Sing Sing prison. Career Chapin was b ...

, Ethel Payne, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos *

Miyoshi Kiyotsura was a Japanese Confucian scholar, now most notable for his opprobrium of Buddhism. Life Kiyotsura was a scholar and professor of literature, eventually becoming the Daigaku-no-kami and writing a biography of Fujiwara no Yasunori. He also enjo ...

(Jp, 847–918) – Japanese scholar-statesman *

Ibn al-Qaisarani Abu al-Fadl Muhammad bin Tahir bin Ali bin Ahmad al-Shaibani al-Maqdisi (c. 1057-1113), commonly known as Ibn Tahir of Caesarea ("Ibn al-Qaisarani" in Arabic), was a Muslim historian and traditionist. He is largely credited with being the first to ...

(Ab, 1056–1113) – medieval Arab biographer of previous medieval biographers * Simon Sebag Montefiore (En, born 1965) – Grigory Potemkin and Joseph Stalin *

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

(Ir, 1779–1852) – Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Lord Byron and Lord Edward FitzGerald * Jeffrey Morgan (Ca, living) – Alice Cooper and The Stooges * Ted Morgan (US, born 1932) – William S. Burroughs, W. Somerset Maugham and Franklin D. Roosevelt * Andrew Morton (En, born 1953) –

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

, Monica Lewinsky and Tom Cruise

N–Z

Ira Nadel Ira Bruce Nadel (born July 22, 1943) is an American-Canadian biographer, literary critic and James Joyce scholar, and a distinguished professor at the University of British Columbia. He has written books on the twentieth-century Modernists, especi ...

(Ca, born 1943) – Leon Uris, David Mamet,

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

and Leonard Cohen * Alanna Nash (US, born 1950) * Nakane Kōtei (Jp, 1839–1913) *

Philip Nel Philip W. Nel (born March 29, 1969) is an American scholar of children's literature and University Distinguished Professor of English at Kansas State University. He is best known for his work on Dr. Seuss and ''Harry Potter'', which has led to hi ...

(US, born 1969) – Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss * Cornelius Nepos (AR, 100–24 BC) *

Nizamuddin Asir Adrawi Nizāmuddīn Asīr Adrawi (also known as Asīr Adrawi; 1926 – 20 May 2021) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, biographer, historian and author in the Urdu language. He established Madrassa Darus Salam in Adari and served as Officer In Charg ...

(IN, 1926–2021) * Iris Origo (En, 1902–1988) *

James Parton James Parton (February 9, 1822 – October 17, 1891) was an English-born American biographer who wrote books on the lives of Horace Greeley, Aaron Burr, Andrew Jackson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Voltaire, and contributed three bio ...

(US, 1822–1891) –

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

, Andrew Jackson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Voltaire * Hesketh Pearson (En, 1887–1964) *

F. David Peat Francis David Peat (Born 18 April 1938 Waterloo, England died 6 June 2017 in Pari Italy) was a holistic physicist and author who has carried out research in solid state physics and the foundation of quantum theory. He was director of the Pari ...

(En, 1928–2017) – David Bohm * Plutarch (AG, 46–127) *

H. F. M. Prescott Hilda Frances Margaret Prescott, more usually known as H. F. M. Prescott (22 February 1896 – 5 May 1972), was an English writer, academic and historian. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her best-known work is a novel, '' ...

(En, 1896–1972) – Mary I of England ("Bloody Mary") *

Arnold Rampersad Arnold Rampersad (born 13 November 1941) is a biographer, literary critic, and academic, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to the US in 1965. The first volume (1986) of his ''Life of Langston Hughes'' was a finalist for the Pulitzer ...

(TT, born 1941) –

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

* Piers Paul Read (En, born 1941) –

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...

* James Redpath (US, born En, 1833–1891) – John Brown (abolitionist) *

W. Andrew Robinson William Andrew Coulthard Robinson (born 14 March 1957) is a British author and former newspaper editor.Mark TwaiteInterview with Andrew Robinson '' The Book Depository, 2009.'' Andrew Robinson was educated at the Dragon School, Eton College, w ...

(En, born 1957) –

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...

and Rabindranath Tagore * Romain Rolland (Fr, 1866–1944) – Beethoven,

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

, Leo Tolstoy and Gandhi * Henry Salt (En, 1851–1939) – Shelley,

Richard Jefferies John Richard Jefferies (6 November 1848 – 14 August 1887) was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influ ...

and

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural su ...

* Carl Sandburg (US, 1878–1967) – Abraham Lincoln *

Stacy Schiff Stacy Madeleine Schiff (born October 26, 1961) is an American former editor, essayist, and author of five biographies. Her biography of Vera Nabokov won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in biography. Schiff has also written biographies of French aviator ...

(US, born 1961) – United States;

Vera Nabokov Vera may refer to: Names *Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarrag ...

, Benjamin Franklin, Antoine de Saint-Exupery,

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

and the Witches of

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

* Anton Schindler (Ge, 1795–1864) – Ludwig van Beethoven *

Anne Sebba Anne Sebba (''née'' Rubinstein, born 1951) is a British biographer, lecturer and journalist. She is the author of nine non-fiction books for adults, two biographies for children, and several introductions to reprinted classics. Life Anne Sebba ...

(En, born 1951) – Wallis Simpson *

Lee Server Lee Server (May 27, 1953 – December 28, 2021) was an American writer. He was a graduate of New York University Film School. Server wrote several books about Hollywood cinema and pulp fiction. His book on Ava Gardner, ''Love is Nothing'' (2006) ...

(US, living) – Robert Mitchum and Ava Gardner *

Miranda Seymour Miranda Jane Seymour (born 8 August 1948) is an English literary critic, novelist and biographer. The lives she has described have included those of Robert Graves and Mary Shelley. Seymour, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, has in r ...

(En, born 1948) –

Annabella Milbanke Anne Isabella Noel Byron, 11th Baroness Wentworth and Baroness Byron (''née'' Milbanke; 17 May 1792 – 16 May 1860), nicknamed Annabella and commonly known as Lady Byron, was wife of poet George Gordon Byron, more commonly known as Lord Byro ...

and

Ada Lovelace Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (''née'' Byron; 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852) was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the A ...

Hellé Nice Hellé Nice (born Mariette Hélène Delangle; 15 December 1900 – 1 October 1984) was a French model, dancer, and a motor racing driver who competed in numerous minor Grands Prix and other races between 1928 and 1939, whose racing career was imp ...

, Mary Shelley * Kirit Shelat (In, born 1946) – India *

Dawn Langley Simmons Dawn Langley Pepita Simmons (probably 1922 – 18 September 2000) was a prolific English author and biographer. Born as Gordon Langley Hall, Simmons lived her first decades as a male. As a young adult, she became close to British actress Dame M ...

(En, 1937–2000) –

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

, Margaret Rutherford and

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

* Roy S. Simmonds (En, 1925–2000) –

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

, William March and Edward O'Brien * Jean Edward Smith (US, 1932–2019) –

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

and

Lucius D. Clay General Lucius Dubignon Clay (April 23, 1898 – April 16, 1978) was a senior officer of the United States Army who was known for his administration of occupied Germany after World War II. He served as the deputy to General of the Army Dwight D ...

Laura J. Snyder Laura J. Snyder (born 1964) is an American historian, philosopher, and writer. She is a Fulbright Scholar, is a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge, was the firsLeon Levy/Alfred P. Sloan fellowaThe Leon Levy Center for Biographyat The Graduate ...

(US, born 1964) –

Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Babbage is considered ...

John F.W. Herschel Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet (; 7 March 1792 – 11 May 1871) was an English polymath active as a mathematician, astronomer, chemist, inventor, experimental photographer who invented the blueprint and did botanical wor ...

, William Whewell,

Richard Jones Richard Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *F. Richard Jones (1893–1930), American filmmaker *Dick Clair (Richard Jones, 1931–1988), American producer, actor and TV writer *Richard Jones (The Feeling), British bass guitarist *Richard J ...

, Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and Oliver Sacks * Dava Sobel (US, born 1947) – John Harrison, Sister Maria Celeste, daughter of Galileo,

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

Maynard Solomon Maynard Elliott Solomon (January 5, 1930 – September 28, 2020) was an American music executive and musicologist, a co-founder of Vanguard Records as well as a music producer."Maynard Solomon" in ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'', v ...

(US, 1930–2020) – Beethoven,

* Leslie Stephen (En, 1832–1904) –

, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift George Eliot and Thomas Hobbes *

Jane Agnes Stewart Jane Agnes Stewart (August 16, 1860 – February 2, 1944) was an American author, editor, and contributor to periodicals. She was a special writer for many journals on subjects related to woman's, religious, educational, sociological, and reform ...

(US, 1860–1944) — Frances Willard * Irving Stone (US, 1903–1989) * Lytton Strachey (En, 1880–1932) – eminent Victorians *

Marshall Terrill Marshall Terrill (born December 17, 1963, in Texarkana, Texas) is an American author and journalist. He is noted for biographies on Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Billy Graham and Pete Maravich. Early years: 1963-1982 Terrill is ...

(US, born 1963) –

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

, Elvis Presley,

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

, Billy Graham, Pete Maravich *

Bankole Timothy Emmanuel Bankole Timothy (3 July 1923 – 20 June 1994) was a Sierra Leonean journalist. He was also an author and wrote biographies of Albert Margai, prime minister of Sierra Leone (1964–67), and Kwame Nkrumah, president of Ghana (1960&n ...

(SL, 1923–1994),

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...

* Nick Tosches (US, 1949–2019) – Jerry Lee Lewis,

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

and

Sonny Liston Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( 1930 – December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson i ...

Meriol Trevor Meriol Trevor (15 April 1919 – 12 January 2000) was a British Roman Catholic writer of children's books, historical novels and biographies. Her two-volume biography of Cardinal Newman won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1963. Biogra ...

(En, 1919–2000) – John Henry Newman, Philip Neri, Pope John XXIII,

Thomas Arnold Thomas Arnold (13 June 1795 – 12 June 1842) was an English educator and historian. He was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement. As headmaster of Rugby School from 1828 to 1841, he introduced several reforms that were wide ...

and James II of England *

Henri Troyat Henri Troyat (born Lev Aslanovich Tarasov; – 2 March 2007) was a Russian-born French author, biographer, historian and novelist. Early life Lev Aslanovich Tarasov (russian: link=no, Лев Асланович Тарасов, ''Lev Aslanovich ...

(Fr, 1911–2007) –

Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

, Leo Tolstoy, Gogol,

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan ...

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

, Ivan Turgenev, Maxim Gorky and Rasputin *

Jenny Uglow Jennifer Sheila Uglow (, (accessed 5 February 2008).
(accessed 19 August 2022). born 1947) is an English biographer, hi ...

(En, born 1947) –

, William Hogarth, Thomas Bewick and the Lunar Society *

Rosa Kershaw Walker Rosa Kershaw Walker (, Kershaw; after first marriage, Turnbull; after second marriage, Walker; literary initials, R. K. Walker; 1840s – May 7, 1909) was an American author, journalist, and newspaper editor of the long nineteenth century. She was ...

(US, 1840s–1909) – eminent Americans *

Blanche Warre-Cornish Blanche Warre-Cornish née Ritchie (widely known as Mrs Cornish, 5 July 1848 – 9 August 1922) was an English writer and conversationalist, celebrated for the "pregnant and startling irrelevancies" of her discourse. She edited some reminiscences ...

(En, 1848–1922) –

William Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel '' Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...

* Alison Weir (En, born 1937) – Elizabeth I of England,

Eleanor of Aquitane Eleanor ( – 1 April 1204; french: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, ) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II, and Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right from ...

, Mary, Queen of Scots * Theodore White (US, 1915–1986) – Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon *

Alice Willard Alice Willard (, Rosseter; April 13, 1860 – February 12, 1936) was an American journalist and business woman. She served as editor of the ''Times'' (Loup City, Nebraska), manager of the ''Woman's Signal'' (London), and managing editor of ''Woman ...

(US, 1860–1936) – Bertha Baur *

A. N. Wilson Andrew Norman Wilson (born 27 October 1950)"A. N. Wilson"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''.

(En, born 1950) – Sir Walter Scott,

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

, Hilaire Belloc, Leo Tolstoy, C. S. Lewis, Jesus Iris Murdoch and

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...

Molly Worthen Molly Worthen (born 1981) is a journalist and historian of American religion. Raised in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, she graduated from Yale in 2003 and earned a Ph.D. in American religious history there in 2011. She is a contributing opinion writer for ...

(US, born 1981) – Charles Hill, American diplomat and Yale professor *

Marguerite Young Marguerite Vivian Young (August 26, 1908 – November 17, 1995) was an American novelist and academic. She is best known for her novel '' Miss MacIntosh, My Darling''. In her later years, she was known for teaching creative writing and as ...

(US, 1908–1995) –

Eugene V. Debs Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialism, socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five times the candidate ...

Autobiographers

Henry Brooks Adams Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. Presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fra ...

(US, 1838–1918) – '' The Education of Henry Adams'' * Ayaan Hirsi Ali (So, born 1969) – '' Infidel: My Life'' *

(In, 1897–1999) – ''

The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian ''The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian'' is the 1951 autobiography of Indian writer Nirad C. Chaudhuri. Written when he was around 50, it records his life from his birth in 1897 in Kishoreganj, a small town in present-day Bangladesh. The book ...

'' * Henry Cockburn (Sc, 1779–1854) – ''Memorials of His Time'' * Frederick Douglass (US, c. 1817–February 20, 1895) – ''Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave'' (1845), "The Heroic Slave" in ''Autographs for Freedom'' (1853), ''My Bondage and My Freedom'' (1855) and ''Life and Times of Frederick Douglass'' (1881, revised 1892) *Jens Jacob Eschels (Ge, 1757–1842) – first seafarer's autobiography in German * Benjamin Franklin (US, 1706–1790) – ''The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin'' *Mahatma Gandhi (In, 1869–1948) – ''The Story of My Experiments with Truth'' *Lee Iacocca (US, 1924–2019) – ''Iacocca: An Autobiography'' *Nelson Mandela (SA, 1918–2013) – ''Long Walk to Freedom'' *Frank McCourt (Ir/US, 1930–2009) – ''Angela's Ashes'' (Pulitzer Prize) *Ronald Skirth (En, 1897–1977) – ''The Reluctant Tommy''

Biographers

A–G

H–M

N–Z

Autobiographers

See also