Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science fiction horror novel that has been adapted for the screen three times. Matheson himself was co-writer of the first film version, '' The Last Man on Earth'', starring

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

, which was released in 1964. The other two adaptations were ''

The Omega Man ''The Omega Man'' (stylized as ''The Ωmega Man'') is a 1971 American post-apocalyptic action film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Charlton Heston as a survivor of a pandemic. It was written by John William Corrington and Joyce Corrington, b ...

,'' starring

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

, and '' I Am Legend'' with

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

. Matheson also wrote 16 television episodes of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'', including "

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is the third episode of the fifth season American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone'', based on the short story of the same name by Richard Matheson, first published in ''Alone by Night'' (1961). It origin ...

" and "

Steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

", as well as several adaptations of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

stories for

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

and

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

– '' House of Usher'', ''

The Pit and the Pendulum "The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842 in the literary annual ''The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843''. The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of ...

'', ''

Tales of Terror ''Tales of Terror'' is a 1962 American International Pictures horror film in colour and Panavision, produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, James H. Nicholson, and Roger Corman, who also directed. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson, and th ...

'' and ''

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myste ...

''. He adapted his 1971 short story "Duel" as a screenplay directed by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

for the television film ''Duel'' that year. In addition to ''I Am Legend'' and ''Duel'', nine more of his novels and short stories have been adapted as motion pictures: ''

The Shrinking Man ''The Shrinking Man'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Richard Matheson, published in 1956. It has been adapted into a motion picture twice, called ''The Incredible Shrinking Man'' in 1957 and ''The Incredible Shrinking Woman'' in 19 ...

'' (filmed as ''

The Incredible Shrinking Man ''The Incredible Shrinking Man'' is a 1957 American science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold based on Richard Matheson's 1956 novel '' The Shrinking Man''. The film stars Grant Williams as Scott and Randy Stuart as Scott's wife Louise. ...

''), ''

Hell House Hell houses are haunted attractions typically run by evangelical Protestant churches or parachurch organizations, designed to act as moral instruction. They depict acts which the organizers deem sinful and their consequences, including the torm ...

'' (filmed as ''

The Legend of Hell House ''The Legend of Hell House'' is a 1973 supernatural horror film directed by John Hough, and starring Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, and Gayle Hunnicutt. It follows a group of researchers who spend a week in the former home of a ...

''), '' What Dreams May Come'', ''

Bid Time Return ''Bid Time Return'' is a 1975 science fiction novel by Richard Matheson. It concerns a man from the 1970s who travels back in time to court a 19th-century stage actress whose photograph has captivated him. In 1980, it was made into the classic ...

'' (filmed as '' Somewhere in Time''), ''

A Stir of Echoes ''A Stir of Echoes'' is a supernatural fiction, supernatural novel by American writer Richard Matheson, published in 1958. It served as the inspiration for the 1999 film ''Stir of Echoes''. Plot synopsis Tom Wallace lived an ordinary life, unti ...

'', ''Steel'' (filmed as ''

Real Steel ''Real Steel'' is a 2011 American science fiction sports drama film starring Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo and co-produced and directed by Shawn Levy for DreamWorks Pictures. The film is based on the short story "Steel", written by Richard Mathe ...

''), and '' Button, Button'' (filmed as '' The Box''). The movie ''

Cold Sweat "Cold Sweat" is a song performed by James Brown and written with his bandleader Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. Brown recorded it in May 1967. An edited version of "Cold Sweat" released as a two-part single on King Records was a No. 1 R&B hit, and rea ...

'' was based on his novel ''Ride the Nightmare'', and ''Les seins de glace'' (''

Icy Breasts ''Icy Breasts'' (french: Les seins de glace, it, Esecutore oltre la legge, also known as ''Someone Is Bleeding'') is a 1974 French-Italian psychological thriller film written and directed by Georges Lautner and starring Alain Delon. It is based on ...

'') was based on his novel ''Someone Is Bleeding''. Both ''Steel'' and ''Button, Button'' had previously been episodes of ''The Twilight Zone''.

Early life

Matheson was born in

Allendale, New Jersey Allendale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 6,505,Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, by his mother. His early writing influences were the film ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

'' (1931), novels by Kenneth Roberts, and a poem which he read in the newspaper ''

Brooklyn Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

'', where he published his first short story at age eight. He entered

Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is an elite public high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is one of t ...

in 1939, graduated in 1943, and served with the Army in Europe during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

; this formed the basis for his 1960 novel '' The Beardless Warriors''. He attended the

Missouri School of Journalism The Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in all areas of journalism and strategic comm ...

at the University of Missouri, earning his BA in 1949, then moved to California.

Career

1950s and 1960s

His first-written novel, ''Hunger and Thirst'', was ignored by publishers for several decades before eventually being published in 2010, but his short story "

Born of Man and Woman "Born of Man and Woman" is a science fiction short story by American writer Richard Matheson, originally published in the July 1950 issue of ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction''. It was his first professional sale, written when he was ...

" was published in ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...

'', Summer 1950, the new quarterly's third issue and attracted attention. It is the tale of a monstrous child chained by its parents in the cellar, cast as the creature's diary in poignantly non-

idiomatic Idiom, also called idiomaticness or idiomaticity, is the syntactical, grammatical, or structural form peculiar to a language. Idiom is the realized structure of a language, as opposed to possible but unrealized structures that could have develop ...

English. Later that year he placed stories in the first and third numbers of ''

Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...

'', a new monthly. His first anthology of work was published in 1954. Between 1950 and 1971, he produced dozens of stories, frequently blending elements of the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres. He was a member of the Southern California Sorcerers in the 1950s and 1960s, which included

Charles Beaumont Charles Beaumont (January 2, 1929 – February 21, 1967) was an American author of speculative fiction, including short stories in the horror and science fiction subgenres.Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, "Beaumont, Charles" in David Pringle, ed., '' ...

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

George Clayton Johnson George Clayton Johnson (July 10, 1929 – December 25, 2015) was an American science fiction writer, best known for co-writing with William F. Nolan the novel '' Logan's Run'', the basis for the MGM 1976 film. He was also known for his televisi ...

, William F. Nolan,

Jerry Sohl Gerald Allan Sohl Sr. (December 2, 1913 – November 4, 2002) was an American television scriptwriter and science fiction author who wrote for ''The Twilight Zone'' (as a ghostwriter for Charles Beaumont), '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', '' The Out ...

, and others. Several of his stories, including "

Third from the Sun "Third from the Sun" is episode 14 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It is based on a short story of the same name by Richard Matheson which first appeared in the first issue of the magazine ''Galaxy Science Ficti ...

" (1950), "Deadline" (1959), and "Button, Button" (1970) are simple sketches with

twist ending Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...

s; others, like "Trespass" (1953), "Being" (1954), and "Mute" (1962) explore their characters' dilemmas over 20 or 30 pages. Some tales, such as "The Doll that Does Everything" (1954) and "The Funeral" (1955) incorporate

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

humour at the expense of genre clichés, and are written in an overblown prose very different from Matheson's usual pared-down style. Others, like "The Test" (1954) and "Steel" (1956), portray the moral and physical struggles of ordinary people, rather than the then nearly ubiquitous scientists and superheroes, in situations which are at once futuristic and everyday. Still others, such as "Mad House" (1953), "The Curious Child" (1954), and perhaps most of all, "Duel" (1971), are tales of

paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...

, in which the everyday environment of the present day becomes inexplicably alien or threatening. "Duel" was adapted into the 1971 TV movie of the same name. Matheson's first novel to be published, ''Someone Is Bleeding'', appeared from Lion Books in 1953. In 1960, Matheson published ''The Beardless Warriors'', a non-fantastic, autobiographical novel about teenage American soldiers in World War II. It was filmed in 1967 as '' The Young Warriors'' though most of Matheson's plot was jettisoned. During the 1950s he published a handful of

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

stories (later collected in ''By the Gun''); and during the 1990s he published Western novels such as ''Journal of the Gun Years'', ''The Gunfight'', ''The Memoirs of

Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement ...

'', and ''Shadow on the Sun''. His other early novels include ''

'' (1956, filmed in 1957 as ''

'', again from Matheson's own screenplay) and a science fiction

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

novel, '' I Am Legend'' (1954) (filmed as '' The Last Man on Earth'' in 1964, ''

'' in 1971, and '' I Am Legend'' in 2007). Matheson wrote screenplays for several television programs including the

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...

'', ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...

'', and '' Lawman''. He is most closely associated with the American TV series ''

'', for which he wrote more than a dozen episodes, including "

" (1963), "

" (1963), " Little Girl Lost" (1962), and " Death Ship" (1963). For all of his ''Twilight Zone'' scripts, Matheson wrote the introductory and closing statements spoken by creator Rod Serling. He adapted five works of

for

's Poe series, including '' House of Usher'' (1960), ''

(1961)'', and ''

'' (1963). He wrote the ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' episode " The Enemy Within" (1966). For

Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve clas ...

he wrote the screenplay for ''

Fanatic FANatic is an American TV show created by Ed Connolly and produced by Executive Producers Deborah Norton and Ed Connolly of Norton Connolly Productions, that was shown on the MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an Am ...

'' (1965; US title: ''Die! Die! My Darling!'') based on the novel ''Nightmare'' by Anne Blaisdell, starring

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lif ...

and Stefanie Powers; he also adapted for Hammer Dennis Wheatley's ''The Devil Rides Out'' (1968).

1970s and 1980s

In 1973, Matheson earned an

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...

for his teleplay for '' The Night Stalker'', one of two TV movies written by Matheson and directed by

Dan Curtis Dan Curtis (born Daniel Mayer Cherkoss; August 12, 1927 – March 27, 2006) was an American director, writer, and producer of television and film, known among fans of horror films for his afternoon TV series ''Dark Shadows'' (1966–1971) and ...

(the other was '' The Night Strangler'', which preceded the TV series '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker''). Matheson worked extensively with Curtis; the 1977 television movie ''

Dead of Night ''Dead of Night'' is a 1945 black and white British anthology horror film, made by Ealing Studios. The individual segments were directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer. It stars Mervyn Johns, Googie W ...

'' features three stories written for the screen by Matheson — "Second Chance" (based on the story by

Jack Finney Walter Braden "Jack" Finney (born John Finney; October 2, 1911 – November 14, 1995) was an American writer. His best-known works are science fiction and thrillers, including '' The Body Snatchers'' and '' Time and Again''. The former was the ba ...

); "No Such Thing as a Vampire" (based on Matheson's story of the same name); and "Bobby", an original script written for this omnibus movie by Matheson. "Bobby" was later refilmed with different actors as the second segment of ''

Trilogy of Terror II ''Trilogy of Terror II'' is a 1996 American made-for-television anthology horror film and a sequel to ''Trilogy of Terror'' (1975), both directed by Dan Curtis. The film follows the formula of the original, with one female lead (Lysette Anthon ...

''. Three of his short stories were filmed together as ''

Trilogy of Terror ''Trilogy of Terror'' is a 1975 American made-for-television anthology horror film directed by Dan Curtis and starring Karen Black. It features three segments, each based on unrelated short stories by Richard Matheson. The first follows a coll ...

'' (1975), including "Prey" (initially published in the April 1969 issue of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' magazine) with its famous Zuni warrior fetish doll. The Zuni fetish doll reappeared in the final segment of the belated sequel to the first movie, ''

''. Other Matheson novels turned into notable films in the seventies include ''

'' (as '' Somewhere in Time''), and ''

'' (as ''

''), both adapted and scripted by Matheson himself. In the 1980s, Matheson published the novel ''

Earthbound ''EarthBound'', released in Japan as is a role-playing video game developed by Creatures (company), Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The second entry in the Mother (video game s ...

'', wrote several screenplays for the TV series ''Amazing Stories'', and continued to publish short fiction.

1990s

Matheson published four western novels in this decade, plus the suspense novel ''Seven Steps to Midnight'' (1993) and the blackly comic

locked-room mystery The "locked-room" or "impossible crime" mystery is a type of crime seen in crime and detective fiction. The crime in question, typically murder ("locked-room murder"), is committed in circumstances under which it appeared impossible for the perpetr ...

novel, ''Now You See It ...'', aptly dedicated to

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

(1995). He also wrote several movies—the offbeat comedy and box-office flop ''Loose Cannons'', the biopic ''The Dreamer of Oz'' (about L. Frank Baum), a segment of ''Rod Serling's Lost Classics'', and segments of ''Trilogy of Terror II''. Short stories continued to flow from his pen, and he saw the adaptations by other hands of two more of his novels for the big screen—'' What Dreams May Come'' and ''

'' (as '' Stir of Echoes''). In 1999, Matheson published a non-fiction work ''The Path'', inspired by his interest in psychic phenomena.

21st century

Many previously unpublished novels by Matheson appeared late in his career, as did various collections of his work and previously unpublished screenplays. He also wrote new works, such as the suspense novel ''Hunted Past Reason'' (2002). and the children's illustrated fantasy ''Abu and the Seven Marvels''.

Sources of inspiration

Matheson cited specific inspirations for many of his works. ''Duel'' was derived from an incident in which he and a friend,

, were dangerously tailgated by a large truck on the same day as the

assassination of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle with ...

. According to

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

, Matheson's scientific approach to the supernatural in ''I Am Legend'' and other novels from the 1950s and early 1960s "anticipated pseudorealistic fantasy novels like '' Rosemary's Baby'' and ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...

''."

Personal life and death

In 1952, Matheson married Ruth Ann Woodson, whom he met in California. They had four children: Bettina Mayberry, Richard Christian, Christopher Matheson and Ali Marie Matheson. Richard, Chris, and Ali became writers of fiction and screenplays. Matheson died on June 23, 2013, at his home in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 87.

Awards

Matheson received the

World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

in 1984 and the

Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement The Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement annually recognizes one to three living artists for "superior achievement in an entire career" which has "substantially influenced the horror genre". It is conferred by the Horror Writers Association, ...

from the

Horror Writers Association The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers. Overview HWA was formed in 1985 with t ...

in 1991. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted him in 2010. At the annual

World Fantasy Convention The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an ...

s he won two judged, annual literary awards for particular works: World Fantasy Awards for ''

'' as the best novel of 1975 and ''Richard Matheson: Collected Stories'' as the best collection of 1989. Matheson died just days before he was due to receive the Visionary award at the 39th

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...

s ceremony. As a tribute, the ceremony was dedicated to him and the award was presented posthumously. Academy President Robert Holguin said "Richard's accomplishments will live on forever in the imaginations of everyone who read or saw his inspired and inimitable work." The tribute anthology ''He is Legend'' was published by Gauntlet Press in 2009.

Influence

Other writers

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

has listed Matheson as a creative influence and his novels ''

Cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

'' and ''

Elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

'' are dedicated to Matheson, along with filmmaker

George A. Romero George Andrew Romero (; February 4, 1940 – July 16, 2017) was an American-Canadian filmmaker, writer, editor and actor. His ''Night of the Living Dead'' series of films about an imagined zombie apocalypse began with the 1968 film of the ...

. Romero frequently acknowledged Matheson as an inspiration and listed the shambling vampire creatures that appear in ''The Last Man on Earth'', the first film version of ''I Am Legend'', as the inspiration for the zombie "ghouls" he envisioned in ''

Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American independent horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, with a screenplay by John Russo and Romero, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. The story follows seven peop ...

''.

Anne Rice Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Christian literature. She was best known for her series of novels ''The Vampire Chronicles''. B ...

stated that when she was a child, Matheson's short story "A Dress of White Silk" was an early influence on her interest in vampires and fantasy fiction.

Directors

After his death, several figures offered tributes to his life and work. Director

said: Another frequent collaborator,

said: On Twitter, director

Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a ...

wrote "If it's true that the great Richard Matheson has passed away, 140 characters can't begin to cover what he has given the sci fi & horror genre." Director Richard Kelly added "I loved Richard Matheson's writing and it was a huge honor getting to adapt his story 'Button, Button' into a film. RIP."

Works

Novels

*''Someone Is Bleeding'' (1953) filmed as ''

'' *''Fury on Sunday'' (1953) *'' I Am Legend'' (1954) filmed as '' The Last Man on Earth'', ''

'', '' I Am Omega'' and '' I Am Legend'' *''

'' (1956); filmed as ''

'' and subsequently reprinted under that title; also the basis of the film ''

The Incredible Shrinking Woman ''The Incredible Shrinking Woman'' is a 1981 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Joel Schumacher (in his theatrical directing debut), written by Jane Wagner and starring Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, John Glover, and Eli ...

'' *''

'' (1958); filmed as '' Stir of Echoes'' *''Ride the Nightmare'' (1959); adapted as an episode of ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...

'' and later filmed as ''Cold Sweat'' (1970 film) *'' The Beardless Warriors'' (1960); filmed as '' The Young Warriors'' *''The Comedy of Terrors'' (1964), with Elsie Lee; filmed as ''

The Comedy of Terrors ''The Comedy of Terrors'' is a 1963 American International Pictures horror comedy film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, and (in a cameo) Joe E. Brown in his final film appeara ...

'' *''

'' (1971); filmed as ''

'' *''

'' (1975); filmed as '' Somewhere in Time'' and subsequently reprinted under that title *'' What Dreams May Come'' (1978); filmed as ''What Dreams May Come (film), What Dreams May Come'' *''

'' (Playboy Publications, 1982), as by Logan Swanson – editorially abridged version; restored text published as by Richard Matheson, UK: Robinson Books, 1989 *''Journal of the Gun Years'' (1992) *''The Gunfight'' (1993) *''7 Steps to Midnight'' (1993) *''Shadow on the Sun'' (1994) *''Now You See It ...'' (1995) *''The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickok'' (1996) *''Passion Play'' (2000) *''Hunger and Thirst'' (2000) *''Camp Pleasant'' (2001) *''Abu and the Seven Marvels'' (2002) *''Hunted Past Reason'' (2002) *''Come Fygures, Come Shadowes'' (2003) *''Woman'' (2005) *''The Link'' (2006) *''Other Kingdoms'' (2011) *''Generations'' (2012) *'' Kolchak: The Night Stalker: Nightkillers'' (2017) (co-written by Chuck Miller) Based on an unfilmed teleplay for the series.

Short stories

" (1950) *"Third from the Sun" (1950); adapted as a ''The Twilight Zone, Twilight Zone'' Third from the Sun, episode (1960) *"The Waker Dreams" (a.k.a. "When the Waker Sleeps") (1950) *"Blood Son" (1951) *"Through Channels" (1951) *"Clothes Make the Man" (1951) *"Return" (1951) *"The Thing" (1951) *"Witch War" (1951) *"Dress of White Silk" (1951) *"F---" (a.k.a. "The Foodlegger") (1952)
"Shipshape Home"
(1952) *"SRL Ad" (1952) *"Advance Notice" (a.k.a. "Letter to the Editor") (1952)
"Lover, When You're Near Me"
(1952)
"Brother to the Machine"
(1952) *"To Fit the Crime" (1952) *"The Wedding" (1953) *"Wet Straw" (1953) *"Long Distance Call" (a.k.a. "Sorry, Right Number") (1953) *"Slaughter House" (1953) *"Mad House" (1953) *"The Last Day" (1953) *"Lazarus II" (1953) *"Legion of Plotters" (1953) *"Death Ship" (1953); adapted as a ''The Twilight Zone, Twilight Zone'' Death Ship (The Twilight Zone), episode (1963) *"Disappearing Act" (1953); adapted as a ''The Twilight Zone, Twilight Zone'' And When the Sky Was Opened, episode (1959) *"The Disinheritors" (1953) *"Dying Room Only" (1953) *"Full Circle" (1953) *"Mother by Protest" (a.k.a. "Trespass") (1953) *"Little Girl Lost" (1953); adapted as a ''The Twilight Zone, Twilight Zone'' Little Girl Lost (The Twilight Zone), episode (1962) *"Being" (1954) *"The Curious Child" (1954) *"When Day Is Dun" (1954) *"Dance of the Dead" (1954); adapted as a ''Masters of Horror'' Dance of the Dead (Masters of Horror), episode (2005) *"The Man Who Made the World" (1954) *"The Traveller" (1954) *"The Test" (1954) *"The Conqueror" (1954) *"Dear Diary" (1954) *"The Doll That Does Everything" (1954) *"Descent" (1954) *"Miss Stardust" (1955) *"The Funeral" (1955); adapted as story segment for Rod Serling's ''Night Gallery'' *"Too Proud to Lose" (1955)
"One for the Books"
(1955) *"Pattern for Survival" (1955) *"A Flourish of Strumpets" (1956) *"The Splendid Source" (1956); adapted as a ''Family Guy'' The Splendid Source, episodeSteel: And Other Stories
Product Description. *"Steel" (1956); adapted as a ''The Twilight Zone, Twilight Zone'' Steel (The Twilight Zone), episode (1963); loosely filmed as ''

'' (2011) *"The Children of Noah" (1957) *"A Visit to Santa Claus" (a.k.a. "I'll Make It Look Good," as Logan Swanson) (1957) *"The Holiday Man" (1957) *"Old Haunts" (1957) *"The Distributor" (1958) *"The Edge" (1958) *"Lemmings" (1958) *"Now Die in It" (1958) *"Mantage" (1959) *"Deadline" (1959) *"The Creeping Terror" (a.k.a. "A Touch of Grapefruit") (1959) *"No Such Thing as a Vampire" (1959); adapted as segment of the TV film ''

'' *"Big Surprise" (a.k.a. "What Was in the Box") (1959) Adapted as a Night Gallery short *"Crickets" (1960) *"Day of Reckoning" (a.k.a. "The Faces," "Graveyard Shift") (1960) *"First Anniversary" (1960); adapted as an ''The Outer Limits (1995 TV series), Outer Limits'' First Anniversary (The Outer Limits), episode (1996) *"From Shadowed Places" (1960) *"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (1961); adapted as ''

'' Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, episode in 1963, as segment four of ''Twilight Zone: The Movie'' in 1983, and as one of the Twilight Zone radio dramas. Loosely inspired "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet" in the 2019 revival series. Has also been parodied numerous times, most notably as a segment of the fourth instalment of The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror series. *"Finger Prints" (1962) *"Mute" (1962); adapted as a ''The Twilight Zone, Twilight Zone'' Mute (The Twilight Zone), episode (1963) *"The Likeness of Julie" (as Logan Swanson) (1962); adapted into "Julie" in the 1975 TV film ''

'' *"The Jazz Machine" (1963) *"Crescendo" (a.k.a. "Shock Wave") (1963) *"Girl of My Dreams" (1963); adapted by

and Michael J. Bird as an episode of the 1968 Hammer TV series ''Journey to the Unknown'' *"'Tis the Season to Be Jelly" (1963) *"Deus Ex Machina" (1963) *"Interest" (1965) *"A Drink of Water" (1967) *"Needle in the Heart" (a.k.a. "Therese") (1969); adapted into "Millicent and Therese" in the 1975 TV film ''

'' *"Prey" (1969); adapted into "Ameilia" in the 1975 TV film ''

'' *" Button, Button" (1970); filmed as a ''

'' Button, Button (The Twilight Zone), episode in 1986; filmed as '' The Box'' (2009) *"'Til Death Do Us Part" (1970) *"By Appointment Only" (1970) *"The Finishing Touches" (1970) *"Duel" (1971); filmed as ''Duel (1971 film), Duel'' (1971) *"Leo Rising" (1972) *"Where There's a Will" (with Richard Christian Matheson) (1980) *"And Now I'm Waiting" (1983) *"Blunder Buss" (1984) *"Getting Together" (1986) *"Buried Talents" (1987) *"The Near Departed" (1987) *"Shoo Fly" (1988) *"Person to Person" (1989) *"CU: Mannix" (1991) *"Two O'Clock Session" (1991) *"The Doll" (as ''Amazing Stories (1985 TV series), Amazing Stories'' in 1986) *"Go West, Young Man" (1993) *"Gunsight" (1993) *"Little Jack Cornered" (1993) *"Of Death and Thirty Minutes" (1993) *"Always Before Your Voice" (1999) *"Relics" (1999) *"And in Sorrow" (2000) *"The Prisoner" (2001) *"Purge Among Peanuts" (2001) *"He Wanted to Live" (2002) *"The Last Blah in the Etc." (a.k.a. "All and Only Silence") (2002) *"Life Size" (2002) *"Maybe You Remember Him" (2002) *"Mirror, Mirror..." (2002) *"Phone Call From Across The Street" (2002) *"Professor Fritz and the Runaway House" (2002) *"That Was Yesterday" (2002) *"Man With a Club" (2003) *"Haircut" (2006) *"Life Size" (2008) *"An Element Never Forgets" (2010) *"Backteria" (2011)

Short story collections

*Born of Man and Woman (collection), ''Born of Man and Woman'' (1954) *''The Shores of Space'' (1957) *''Shock!'' (1961) *''Shock 2'' (1964) *''Shock 3'' (1966) *''Shock Waves'' (1970) Published as ''Shock 4'' in the UK (1980) *''Button, Button'' (1970) basis for the movie, "The Box" (2009) *''Richard Matheson: Collected Stories'' (1989) *''By the Gun'' (1993) *''Nightmare at 20,000 Feet'' (2002) *''Pride'' with Richard Christian Matheson (2002) *''Duel'' (2002) *''Offbeat: Uncollected Stories'' (2002) *''Darker Places'' (2004) *''Unrealized Dreams'' (2004) *''Duel and The Distributor'' (2005) ''Previously unpublished screenplays of these two stories'' *''Button, Button: Uncanny Stories'' (2008) (Tor Books) *''Uncollected Matheson: Volume 1'' (2008) *''Uncollected Matheson: Volume 2'' (2010) *''Steel: And Other Stories'' (2011) *''Bakteria and Other Improbable Tales'' (2011) (e-book exclusive) *''The Best of Richard Matheson'' (2017) (Penguin Classics)

Films (for television films see Television below)

*''

'' (1957) *''The Beat Generation'' (1959) *'' House of Usher'' (1960) *''Master of the World (1961 film), Master of the World'' (1961) *''

'' (1961) *''Burn Witch Burn (film), Burn Witch Burn'' (1962); a.k.a. ''Night of the Eagle'' (screenplay co-written with

and George Baxt) based on the novel ''Conjure Wife'' by Fritz Leiber *''

'' (1962) *''

'' (1963) *''

'' (1963) *'' The Last Man on Earth'' (as "Logan Swanson", based on Matheson's novel ''I Am Legend'') (1964) *''Fanatic (1965 film), Fanatic'' (1965) *'' The Young Warriors'' (based on Matheson's novel ''The Beardless Warriors'') (1967) *''The Devil Rides Out (film), The Devil Rides Out'' (based on the novel by Dennis Wheatley) (1968) *''De Sade (film), De Sade'' (1969) *''

'' (based on Matheson's novel ''Ride the Nightmare'') (1970) *''

'' (based on Matheson's novel ''I Am Legend'') (1971) *''

'' (based on Matheson's novel ''Hell House'') (1973) *''

'' (based on his novel ''Someone Is Bleeding'') (1974) *'' Somewhere in Time'' (based on his novel ''Bid Time Return'') (1980) *''Twilight Zone: The Movie'': Fourth segment "Twilight Zone: The Movie#Fourth segment .28.22Nightmare at 20.2C000 Feet.22.29, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (1983) *''Jaws 3-D'' (1983) *''Loose Cannons (1990 film), Loose Cannons'' (1990) *''What Dreams May Come (film), What Dreams May Come'' (based on Matheson's novel) (1998) *'' Stir of Echoes'' (1999) *'' I Am Legend'' (based on Matheson's novel) (2007) *'' The Box'' (2009) *''

'' (2011)

Television

*''Buckskin (TV series), Buckskin'': "Act of Faith" (1959) *''Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV series), Wanted Dead or Alive :"The Healing Woman" (1959) *''The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), Twilight Zone'': (16 episodes) (1959–1964) *''Have Gun Will Travel'': "The Lady on The Wall" (1960) *''Bourbon Street Beat'': "Target of Hate" (1960) *''

'': "Home Is The Brave" (1960) *'' Lawman'' (Six episodes) (1960–1962) *''Thriller (U.S. TV series), Thriller'': "The Return of Andrew Bentley" (1961) *''Combat!'': "Forgotten Front" (as Logan Swanson) (1962) *''

'': "Ride the Nightmare" (1962) *''The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'': "The Thirty-First of February" (1963) *''The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'': "The Atlantis Affair" (1966) *''Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theater'' : "Time of Flight" (1966) *''Star Trek: The Original Series'': "The Enemy Within (Star Trek), The Enemy Within" (1966) *''Duel (1971 film), Duel'' (1971) *'' The Night Stalker'' (1972) *''Night Gallery'' (1972): " Night Gallery#Season 2, The Funeral" (1972) *'' The Night Strangler'' (1973) *''Dying Room Only'' (1973) *''Ghost Story (TV series), Circle of Fear'' (originally titled ''Ghost Story'' (1973)) *''Bram Stoker's Dracula (1973 film), Bram Stoker's Dracula'' (1974) *''Scream of the Wolf'' (1974) *''The Morning After (1974 film), The Morning After'' (1974) *''

'' (1975) TV omnibus movie directed by

. *''

'' (1977). TV omnibus movie directed by Dan Curtis. *''The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver'' (1977) *''The Martian Chronicles (TV miniseries), The Martian Chronicles mini-series'' (1979, 1980) *''The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series), Twilight Zone'': "Button, Button (The Twilight Zone), Button, Button" (as Logan Swanson) (1986) *''Amazing Stories (1985 TV series), Amazing Stories'': "The Doll" (1986) *''Amazing Stories (1985 TV series), Amazing Stories'': "One for the Books" (1987) *''Dreamer of Oz'' (1990). About L. Frank Baum. *''Rod Serling's Lost Classics'' (1994) *''

'' (1996) TV omnibus movie directed by Dan Curtis.

Nonfiction

*''The Path: Metaphysics for the 90s'' (1993) *''The Path: A New Look at Reality'' (1999)

References

External links

*
Matheson biography
at tabula-rasa.info

featured on AMC-TV's Sci-Fi Department webshow * *
Richard Matheson Archive of American Television Interview
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matheson, Richard Burton Richard Matheson, 1926 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American essayists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers American fantasy writers American historical novelists American horror writers American male essayists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male screenwriters American male short story writers American people of Norwegian descent American psychological fiction writers American science fiction writers American spiritual writers Brooklyn Technical High School alumni American consciousness researchers and theorists Dark fantasy writers Edgar Award winners Fabulists Former Christian Scientists Ghost story writers Hugo Award-winning writers Independent scholars Magic realism writers Metaphysics writers Military personnel from New Jersey Missouri School of Journalism alumni Mystics Novelists from New Jersey People from Allendale, New Jersey Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees Surrealist writers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers Weird fiction writers World Fantasy Award-winning writers Writers about religion and science Writers from New Jersey Writers of Gothic fiction Writers of historical fiction set in the modern age

Early life

Career

1950s and 1960s

1970s and 1980s

1990s

21st century

Sources of inspiration

Personal life and death

Awards

Influence

Other writers

Directors

Works

Novels

Short stories

Short story collections

Films (for television films see Television below)

Television

Nonfiction

Further reading

See also

References

External links