Adam Hall is the best known pseudonym of British author Elleston Trevor, who was born as Trevor Dudley-Smith in Kent, England on February 17, 1920. After attending Yardley Court Preparatory School and Sevenoaks School, Dudley-Smith served in the Royal Air Force as a flight engineer during World War II. Following the war, he began a full-time career as a writer. Dudley-Smith lived in various parts of the world, including Spain, France, and the United States, before settling in Phoenix, Arizona.
Dudley-Smith wrote under several pseudonyms, including Adam Hall, Simon Rattray, Mansell Black, Trevor Burgess, Roger Fitzalan, Howard North, Warwick Scott, Caesar Smith, and Lesley Stone. He was a prolific writer who penned works in different genres, including spy thrillers, adventure, children's books, mysteries, plays, and short stories. His writing career spanned over four decades, and he gained significant recognition for his works.
Dudley-Smith's most famous works include "The Flight of the Phoenix," written as Elleston Trevor, and the series about British secret agent Quiller, written as Adam Hall. "The Quiller Memorandum" won the Edgar Allan Poe Award by Mystery Writers of America and the French Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in 1965. The book was later adapted into a movie in 1967, starring George Segal and Alec Guinness. Other works by Dudley-Smith that made it to the screen include the TV movie "The Penthouse" and the "Flight of the Phoenix" filmed in 1965.
Dudley-Smith's writing career was marked by significant recognition and success. He received several awards and accolades for his works, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the French Grand Prix de Littérature Policière. Despite writing under different pseudonyms, his writing style remained consistent, and his works were well-received by critics and readers alike. Dudley-Smith died of cancer on July 21, 1995, leaving behind a vast and diverse body of work that continues to captivate readers to this day.