Darcy O'Brien (July 16, 1939, in Los Angeles, California – March 2, 1998, in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

) was an award-winning American author of fiction and

literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...

, most well known for his work in the genre of

true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...

. His first novel, ''A Way of Life, Like Any Other'', was a fictionalized account of his childhood in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. In 1985, he wrote a book about the Hillside Stranglers entitled ''Two of a Kind: The Hillside Stranglers'', which was adapted into a made-for-television film called ''The Case of the Hillside Stranglers'', starring

Richard Crenna Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American actor and television director. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as '' Made in Paris'' (1966), '' Marooned'' (1969), '' Breakheart Pass'' (1975), '' The Evil'' ...

Biography

Darcy O'Brien was born in Los Angeles, the son of Hollywood

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

actor George O'Brien and actress Marguerite Churchill, a frequent co-star of

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

. O'Brien attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, and received a master's degree and doctorate from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. From 1965 to 1978 he was a professor of English at

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...

. In 1978 he moved to Tulsa, and taught at the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a Private university, private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbyterian Church, although it is now nondenominational, and the campus ...

until 1995. O'Brien was married three times and had one daughter named Molly O'Brien. His sister is Orin O'Brien, a double bassist and member of the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

. O'Brien died of a heart attack in Tulsa on March 2, 1998.

Awards

* 1978: Ernest Hemingway Award for best first novel, ''A Way of Life, Like Any Other'' * 1997:

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

, ''Power to Hurt'' O'Brien was inducted into the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame in 1997.

Selected works

* ''A Way of Life, Like Any Other'' (1977 & 2001). New York: Norton. . * ''

Moment by Moment ''Moment by Moment'' is a 1978 American romantic drama film written and directed by Jane Wagner, and starring Lily Tomlin and John Travolta. It was released by Universal Pictures on December 22, 1978. Shot in Malibu, California from April to Ju ...

'', novelization of screenplay by

Jane Wagner Jane Wagner (born February 26, 1935) is an American writer, director and producer. She is Lily Tomlin's comedy writer, collaborator, and wife. Early life and education Wagner was born and raised in Morristown, Tennessee, where she developed ...

(1979) * ''The Silver Spooner'' (1981) * ''Two of a Kind: The Story of the Hillside Stranglers'' (1985) * ''Murder in Little Egypt'' (1989) * ''Margaret in Hollywood'' (1991) * ''A Dark and Bloody Ground'' (1993) * ''Power to Hurt'' (1996) * ''The Hidden Pope'' (1998) * ''The Conscience of James Joyce'' (2016)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Darcy 1939 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American non-fiction crime writers American academics of English literature Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award winners 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers Pomona College faculty