Gary K. Wolf (born January 24, 1941)
is an American
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
. He is best known as the author of ''
Who Censored Roger Rabbit?
''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' is a mystery novel written by Gary K. Wolf in 1981. It was later adapted by Disney and Amblin Entertainment into the critically acclaimed 1988 film ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''.
Plot
Eddie Valiant is a hardboiled p ...
'' (1981), which was adapted into the hit feature-length film ''
Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' (1988).
Early life and career
Wolf was born on January 24, 1941. He grew up in
Earlville, Illinois
Earlville is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,613 at the 2020 census, down from 1,701 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Earlville Post Office ...
, the son of Ed and Hattie Wolf. His father owned the town's pool hall and later had an upholstering business, while his mother worked in the school cafeteria. As an only child, Wolf would occupy himself by reading
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...
s and
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...
stories. Wolf graduated from Earlville High School in June 1959.
He later attended the
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he earned a
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...
in Advertising and a
Master's degree in Communications. He served as an
Air Force Captain with the
5th Air Commando Squadron in the
Vietnam War, where he won a
Bronze Star
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
and two
Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
s.
Wolf and childhood friend
John J. Myers, former Catholic Archbishop of
Newark, New Jersey, co-wrote a novel named ''Space Vulture'', released by TOR books during 2008.
Wolf and co-author Jehane Baptiste have a story named "The UnHardy Boys in Outer Space" in the annual anthology of humorous science fiction, ''Amityville House of Pancakes Vol 3'' ().
Wolf owns an extensive collection of
carousel horses. Because of this, Wolf was featured on the cover of the September 4, 1976 issue of
Peninsula Living Magazine; the magazine issue itself also showcased his collection.
Wolf resides with his wife of 50 years, Bonnie, and their cats, in
Boston, Massachusetts.
Roger Rabbit
Wolf is best known for a series of comedic mystery novels featuring the now famous
Roger Rabbit
Roger Rabbit is an animated anthropomorphic rabbit. The character first appeared in author Gary K. Wolf's 1981 novel, ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' In the book, Roger is second banana in a popular comic strip, "Baby Herman". Roger hires pri ...
, a cartoon character who inhabits an alternate universe where so-called "
toons
Toon may refer to:
Places
* Tōon, Ehime, a Japanese city in Ehime Prefecture
* Toon, the former name of Ferdows, a city in South Khorasan Province, Iran
* Toon, Somaliland, a town in the Garoodi region
People
* Toon (name), a list of p ...
" (an abbreviation for the word "cartoons") and humans co-exist. The series begins with the novel ''
Who Censored Roger Rabbit?
''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' is a mystery novel written by Gary K. Wolf in 1981. It was later adapted by Disney and Amblin Entertainment into the critically acclaimed 1988 film ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''.
Plot
Eddie Valiant is a hardboiled p ...
'' (1981),
which was the basis of the film ''
Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' (1988). The series continued with ''
Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?'' in 1991 and ''
Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?'' in 2013; these two books were non-canonical to the original book, and had more in common with the hit Disney movie. The events of ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' are retconned in ''Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabit?'' as taking place within a dream Jessica Rabbit had.
Wolf filed a lawsuit in 2001 against
The Walt Disney Company. Wolf claimed he was owed royalties based on the value of "gross receipts" and merchandising sales. In 2002, the trial court in the case ruled that these only referred to actual cash receipts Disney collected and denied Wolf's claim. In its January 2004 ruling, the California Court of Appeals disagreed, finding that Wolf's expert testimony regarding the customary use of "gross receipts" in the entertainment business could support a broader reading of the term. The ruling vacated the trial court's order in favor of Disney and remanded the case for further proceedings. In a March 2005 hearing, Wolf estimated he was owed $7 million. Disney's attorneys not only disputed the claim, but also said Wolf actually owed Disney $500,000–$1 million because of an accounting error discovered in preparing for the lawsuit. Wolf won the decision in July 2005, receiving between $180,000 and $400,000 in damages.
In February 2013, Wolf announced that he and
Erik Von Wodtke were working on a development proposal for a
prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term " ...
film to ''
Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' serving as a
remake of the Disney buddy comedy ''
The Stooge'', starring
Mickey Mouse and
Roger Rabbit
Roger Rabbit is an animated anthropomorphic rabbit. The character first appeared in author Gary K. Wolf's 1981 novel, ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' In the book, Roger is second banana in a popular comic strip, "Baby Herman". Roger hires pri ...
in place of the title characters, and depicting how Roger met his future wife
Jessica in a subplot. Wolf stated the film was wending its way through Disney.
Selected bibliography
*''Killerbowl'' (September 26, 1975) ()
*''A Generation Removed'' (May 27, 1977) ()
*''The Resurrectionist'' (July 20, 1979) ()
*''
Who Censored Roger Rabbit?
''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' is a mystery novel written by Gary K. Wolf in 1981. It was later adapted by Disney and Amblin Entertainment into the critically acclaimed 1988 film ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''.
Plot
Eddie Valiant is a hardboiled p ...
'' (June 6, 1981) ()
*''
Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?'' (July 30, 1991) ()
*''Amityville House of Pancakes Vol 3'' (December 1, 2006) ()
*''Space Vulture'' (March 4, 2008) ()
*''Penumbra eMag Vol 1 Issue 10'' (July 2012) (ISSN 2163-4092)
*''The Late Great Show!'' (October 5, 2012) ()
*''Typical Day'' (December 7, 2012) ()
*''Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?'' (November 29, 2013)
()
References
Further reading
*
External links
Official SiteSpace Vulture*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Gary K.
1941 births
Living people
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
American male novelists
American science fiction writers
People from Earlville, Illinois
Writers from Brookline, Massachusetts
Novelists from Illinois
Novelists from Massachusetts
Gies College of Business alumni
American humorists
United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War
American Vietnam War pilots
Recipients of the Air Medal
United States Air Force officers
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
Military personnel from Illinois