Leon Uris was a highly regarded American novelist, known for his historical fiction novels. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1924, to Jewish-American parents Wolf William and Anna (Blumberg) Uris. Uris's father, a Polish-born immigrant, worked as a paperhanger and storekeeper. Growing up, Uris attended schools in Norfolk, Virginia and Baltimore, but never graduated from high school. After enlisting in the United States Marine Corps at the age of seventeen, he served in the South Pacific as a radioman in combat during World War II.
After the war, Uris worked for a newspaper and began writing in his spare time. His writing became more serious after Esquire magazine bought one of his articles in 1950. Drawing on his experiences in Guadalcanal and Tarawa, he wrote his first best-selling novel, "Battle Cry," which was published in 1953. This novel depicted the toughness and courage of U.S. Marines in the Pacific and was later adapted into a popular movie.
Uris is perhaps best known for his epic novel, "Exodus," which was published in 1958. The novel became a best-seller, translated into over fifty languages, and was made into a feature film in 1960. The novel illustrated the history of Palestine from the late 19th century through the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. Uris's interest in Israel led him to research the novel extensively for two years, conducting thousands of interviews. This extensive research was a hallmark of Uris's writing, and he was known for the deep research that went into his novels.
Throughout his career, Uris wrote numerous bestselling novels, including "Trinity," "Mila 18," "Armageddon: A Novel of Berlin," "QB VII," and "The Haj." His works have had a significant impact on popular understanding of twentieth-century history. Uris passed away in 2003, but his legacy lives on through his many novels and screenplays. Leon Uris's papers can be found at the Ransom Center, University of Texas in Austin, and include all of his novels, with the exception of "The Haj" and "Mitla Pass."