Frank De Felitta, born on August 3, 1921, in The Bronx, New York City, is a renowned author, producer, writer, and director. De Felitta served as a pilot during World War Two before returning to New York in 1945 to begin his writing career. His first script, written for the weekly radio program The Whistler, earned him $350 and marked the beginning of his successful writing career.
De Felitta's work in television was also highly successful. He received Emmy nominations in 1963 and 1968 for his documentaries, as well as a Peabody Award and several Writers Guild nominations. His first novel, Oktoberfest (1973), although not a bestseller, provided him with enough financial support to dedicate a year and a half to his next book, Audrey Rose (1975). This horror story involving reincarnation became a smash bestseller, selling over 2.5 million copies and spawning a successful 1977 film adaptation, for which De Felitta wrote the script.
In addition to Audrey Rose, De Felitta wrote The Entity (1978), based on the real-life case of a woman named Doris Bither who claimed to have been haunted by a spectral rapist. The book was a bestseller and was adapted for a 1982 film starring Barbara Hershey. De Felitta also wrote Golgotha Falls (1984) and directed the cult classic horror film Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981). His most recent work is L'Opera Italiano, published as an e-book in 2012. Frank De Felitta currently lives in Los Angeles.