Biography
W.R. Burnett, also known as William Riley Burnett, was an American novelist and screenwriter. Born on 25 November 1899 in Springfield, Ohio, he died on 25 April 1982 in Santa Monica, California. He is regarded as a pioneer of the gangster novel, with his debut Little Caesar (1929) helping to establish the genre.
Burnett moved to Hollywood in 1930 and became a prolific screenwriter, contributing to more than 60 films. His novels High Sierra (1940) and The Asphalt Jungle (1949) were adapted into notable films, and he wrote or co-wrote screenplays including Scarface (1932), This Gun for Hire (1942) and The Great Escape (1963). He received Academy Award nominations for Wake Island (1942) and The Great Escape.
