Elmore Leonard: "The Dickens of Detroit"- 10 Questions

Mystery and crime writer Elmore Leonard has been putting pen to paper for more than 50 years. Many of his works have been adapted as films or television series. FX's new program Justified is based on Leonard's character, Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens and premieres on March 19.Rob Kozloff / AP

Leonard, nicknamed "Dutch", became interested in writing at the age of 10 after reading All Quiet on the Western Front and spent much of his time in high school pouring through novels. After graduating in 1943, he joined the navy, where he served in the South Pacific with a Seabee unit. After three years of service, Leonard attended the University of Detroit, where he studied English and philosophy.Taro Yamasaki / TIME & LIFE Pictures / Getty Images

Leonard started out writing westerns and his novel Hombre was picked by the Western Writers of America as one of the best westerns of all time in 1961. In 1967 the book was adapted into a movie starring Paul Newman. But by the end of the 1960s, the market for westerns had declined, so over the next few years, Leonard began writing crime and mystery stories.Paul Sancya / AP

A long time resident of Detroit, Leonard is "happily employed." He once said that he has the ideal job situation: he writes what he pleases and gets paid for it.Andrew Sacks / The New York Times / Redux

Leonard's breakout bestseller, Glitz brought him national attention and every novel he has penned since has become a bestseller. Some of his best know works include: Bandits, Touch, Freaky Deaky, Killshot, Get Shorty, Rum Punch, Pronto, and Cuba Libre.Vince Bucci / Getty Images

Quite a few of Leonard's novels have made it to the big screen. Get Shorty, with John Travolta and Out of Sight starring George Clooney were both incredibly popular. Quentin Tarantino directed Jackie Brown, which was based on Rum Punch. Tarantino at one point stated that he plans to adapt 3 other Leonard novels. Justified premieres March 19 on FX.Vince Bucci / Getty Images

Elmore Leonard: “The Dickens of Detroit”- 10 Questions

Veteran Writer

Early Calling

Early Writings

Career Satisfaction

Top of the Charts

On-Screen Adaptations

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