Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison - Writers, Career and Personal Life

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Harlan Ellison's Personal Details

Harlan Ellison is a famous American writer of short stories, essays, novels and scripts, well-known for his works in science-fiction

InformationDetail
BirthdayMay 27, 1934
NationalityAmerican
FamousOhio State University, Writers, Novelists, Short Story Writers
Nick namesCordwainer Bird, Nalrah Nosille
SpousesLori Horowitz (m. 1976), Susan Anne Toth (m. 1986), Billie Joyce Sanders (m. 1960–1963), Charlotte Stein (m. 1956), Lory Patrick Jones (m. 1966–1966)
SiblingsBeverly Ellison
Known asHarlan Jay Ellison
Universities
  • Ohio State University
  • Ohio State University
Notable Alumnis
  • Ohio State University
Birth PlaceCleveland
Height159
GenderMale
FatherLouis Laverne Ellison
MotherSerita
Net Worth$10 Million as of Jan 12,2017
Sun SignGemini
Born inCleveland
Famous asWriter

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Harlan Ellison's photo

Who is Harlan Ellison?

Harlan Ellison is considered to be one of the greatest writers ever in the genre of speculative fiction. As a youngster, Ellison displayed his fearlessness by repeatedly running away from home and taking on a variety of unusual jobs. Best known for his short stories, the extremely prolific Ellison has also written screenplays, teleplays, comic book scripts, novellas, essays and a large assortment of criticism. He hasn’t confined himself to conventions and has experimented wherever possible, pushing others to do the same. He is also the editor of two pioneering science-fiction anthologies, for which he is given a lot of credit for urging the contributing writers to write in a non-traditional way. His unwillingness to let his scripts be altered for commercialization led him to walk out of many TV and Hollywood projects. Whenever his works were modified, Ellison expressed his disapproval by refusing to lend his own name and used the pseudonym of ‘Cordwainer Bird’ instead. Adored and detested in equal measure, contentious Ellison is never shy of expressing his opinion in the strongest of terms. But, there are no divided opinions on his writings, as Ellison has enthralled his fans and critics alike with his incredible body of work.

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Childhood & Early Life

Harlan Ellison was born to Serita Ellison, a housewife and Louis Ellison, a dentist-turned-jewelry salesman in Cleveland, Ohio.

Harlan’s family moved to Painesville, Ohio, where he faced severe discrimination for being a Jew and was an outcast. His family returned to Cleveland after his father died.

During his eventful childhood and adolescence, Ellison often ran away from home and took up unusual jobs such as tuna fisherman, travelling crop-picker, bodyguard, truck driver, cook, lithographer, book salesman etc.

He also acted in several plays at the ‘Cleveland Play House’, a local theatre company in Cleveland. Ellison was an avid reader of science-fiction and fantasy and wrote for the Cleveland science-fiction society’s amateur magazine, ‘Science-Fantasy Bulletin’.

In 1949, he got his two stories published in the local newspaper ‘Cleveland News’ and after a few years sold a story to ‘EC Comics’.

From 1951 to 1953, Ellison attended Ohio State University for 18 months before being ousted from the University, for hitting his creative-writing professor who had criticized his work.

Career

In 1955, Ellison moved to New York City to pursue a career as a writer, particularly in the genre of science-fiction. He published more than 100 articles and short stories in the next couple of years.

Soon after reaching New York, Ellison wanted to write about youth gangs and as a part of his research, joined one such gang incognito in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn. The gang was called ‘The Barons’ and Harlan acted as the gang’s war counsellor for 10 weeks.

This experience was used in Ellison’s novel ‘Web of the City/Rumble’, the collection ‘The Deadly Streets’ and ‘Memos from Purgatory’, a part of his memoir.

From 1957 to 1959, Ellison served in the US Army, returning to New York afterwards. During this time, he wrote a lot of erotic stories, such as ‘God Bless the Ugly Virgin’ and ‘Tramp’, which were later reprinted in magazines.

In 1959, he moved to Chicago and worked as the editor of the ‘Rogue Magazine’. Later, he was involved in the formation of ‘Regency Books’, subsequently becoming a book editor. He edited works by prominent authors such as B. Traven, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Bloch and Philip Jos� Farmer etc.

In 1962, he moved to California and started his tryst with Hollywood. He wrote screenplays for the film, ‘The Oscar’ and many TV shows such as ‘The Flying Nun’, ‘Burke's Law’, ‘Route 66’, ‘The Outer Limits’, ‘Star Trek’, ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’, ‘Cimarron Strip’ and ‘The Alfred Hitchcock Hour’.

During the late 1960s, he wrote a column called ‘The Glass Teat’ for the ‘Los Angeles Free Press’. The column dealt with political and social issues presented on television.

He was recruited as a writer for the famous ‘Walt Disney Studios’. On his first day, he was joking about the concept of making a pornographic movie featuring Disney characters which was overheard by CEO ‘Roy O. Disney’, leading to his termination the same day.

Ellison kept publishing short works in different publications. ‘’Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman’, ‘I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’ and ‘A Boy and his Dog’ are among his best-known short stories.

He edited the ‘Dangerous Visions’, a science-fiction short story collection, also providing biographies of the authors in the book.

He was the ‘Creative Consultant’ for TV shows ‘The Twilight Zone’ and ‘Babylon 5’. He also did commentary on many films and TV shows.

In 1986, Ellison started hosting the radio show ‘Hour 25’ on ‘Pacifica Radio’ in Los Angeles. Harlan had formerly been a recurrent and popular guest at the show. Drawing from this experience as the host, he wrote a short story called ‘The Hour That Stretches’

In the 1990s, he did commentary for the program ‘Sci-Fi Buzz’ broadcast on the ‘Sci-Fi Channel’. He also lent his voice in audiobooks written by both himself and other authors.

In 2012-2013, Ellison voiced for his own character in ‘Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated’, ‘The Shrieking Madness’ and ‘Come Undone’. He again lent his voice to his own character in one episode of the TV show ‘The Simpsons’.

Major Works

Harlan Ellison has written many of the greatest short stories in the genre of science-fiction. Among his most famous stories are '”Repent, Harlequin!”' Said the Ticktockman’, a satire that celebrates civil disobedience against authority and ‘I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’ a post-apocalyptic adventure story.

Ellison edited ‘Dangerous Visions’, the revolutionary collection of science-fiction stories and is praised extensively for encouraging the authors to go against the pre-existing conventions of science-fiction writing.

Harlan Ellison’s screenplay for Star Trek’s episode ‘The City on the Edge of Forever’ is widely regarded as the best episode of all 79 in the series for which he earned wide appreciation.

Awards & Achievements

In 1966, Ellison won a ‘Hugo Award’ in the ‘Best Short Fiction’ category for his satirical short story ‘”Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman’.

In 1968, he won a ‘Hugo Award again’ for his short story ‘I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’ in the category ‘Best Short Story’.

In 1969, he won a ‘Nebula Award’ for his work ‘A Boy and His Dog’ in the ‘Best Novella’ category.

In 1974, Ellison was awarded the ‘Edgar Allan Poe Award’ in the category ‘Best Short Story’ for his short story ‘The Whimper of Whipped Dogs’.

In 1977, he won a ‘Nebula Award’ again in the category ‘Best Short Story’ for his ‘Jeffty is Five’, which chronicles the life of a boy ‘Jeffty’ who never grows beyond the age of 5.

In 1987, he was awarded a ‘Bram Stoker Award’ in the category ‘Best Collection’ for his compilation, ‘The Essential Ellison’.

Personal Life & Legacy

He has used several pseudonyms throughout his writing career, the most popular one being ‘Cordwainer Bird’. Ellison uses this particular pen name when his work has been modified without his approval.

Harlan Ellison has been married five times, and currently resides with his wife ‘Susan Toth’. Two of his marriages ended in divorce. Ellison does not have any children from any of his marriages.

Ellison has been a great advocate of civil rights. In 1965, he participated in the ‘Bloody Sunday March’ from Selma to Montgomery, a protest march supporting the ‘American civil rights movement’, led by ‘Martin Luther King, Jr.’.

Ellison has been embroiled in controversies throughout his career, which arise from his crude and argumentative temperament. Some of these issues include defamation lawsuits, copyright suits, personal feuds and boycotting any work which does not provide him with creative freedom.

Trivia

This famous science-fiction writer was expelled from ‘Ohio State University’ for punching his professor who criticized his writing. Over the next 40-years, the writer sent that professor a copy of every story he published.

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Harlan Ellison's awards

YearNameAward

Other

1968Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
1976Nebula Award for Best Dramatic Writing
1987WGA Award (TV) for Anthology Episode/Single Program
1974WGA Award (TV) for Best Written Dramatic Episode
1968WGA Award (TV) for Best Written Dramatic Episode
1966WGA Award (TV) for TV Anthology
0Any Length
2000WGC Award for for
01976 - Golden Scroll for Best Writing
0 1996 - Lifetime Achievement Award
0 1976 - Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation

Harlan Ellison biography timelines

  • // 27th May 1934
    Harlan Ellison was born to Serita Ellison, a housewife and Louis Ellison, a dentist-turned-jewelry salesman in Cleveland, Ohio.
  • // 1949
    In 1949, he got his two stories published in the local newspaper ‘Cleveland News’ and after a few years sold a story to ‘EC Comics’.
  • // 1951 To 1953
    From 1951 to 1953, Ellison attended Ohio State University for 18 months before being ousted from the University, for hitting his creative-writing professor who had criticized his work.
  • // 1955
    In 1955, Ellison moved to New York City to pursue a career as a writer, particularly in the genre of science-fiction. He published more than 100 articles and short stories in the next couple of years.
  • // 1957 To 1959
    From 1957 to 1959, Ellison served in the US Army, returning to New York afterwards. During this time, he wrote a lot of erotic stories, such as ‘God Bless the Ugly Virgin’ and ‘Tramp’, which were later reprinted in magazines.
  • // 1959
    In 1959, he moved to Chicago and worked as the editor of the ‘Rogue Magazine’. Later, he was involved in the formation of ‘Regency Books’, subsequently becoming a book editor. He edited works by prominent authors such as B. Traven, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Bloch and Philip Jos� Farmer etc.
  • // 1962
    In 1962, he moved to California and started his tryst with Hollywood. He wrote screenplays for the film, ‘The Oscar’ and many TV shows such as ‘The Flying Nun’, ‘Burke's Law’, ‘Route 66’, ‘The Outer Limits’, ‘Star Trek’, ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’, ‘Cimarron Strip’ and ‘The Alfred Hitchcock Hour’.
  • // 1965
    Ellison has been a great advocate of civil rights. In 1965, he participated in the ‘Bloody Sunday March’ from Selma to Montgomery, a protest march supporting the ‘American civil rights movement’, led by ‘Martin Luther King, Jr.’.
  • // 1966
    In 1966, Ellison won a ‘Hugo Award’ in the ‘Best Short Fiction’ category for his satirical short story ‘”Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman’.
  • // 1968
    In 1968, he won a ‘Hugo Award again’ for his short story ‘I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’ in the category ‘Best Short Story’.
  • // 1969
    In 1969, he won a ‘Nebula Award’ for his work ‘A Boy and His Dog’ in the ‘Best Novella’ category.
  • // 1974
    In 1974, Ellison was awarded the ‘Edgar Allan Poe Award’ in the category ‘Best Short Story’ for his short story ‘The Whimper of Whipped Dogs’.
  • // 1977
    In 1977, he won a ‘Nebula Award’ again in the category ‘Best Short Story’ for his ‘Jeffty is Five’, which chronicles the life of a boy ‘Jeffty’ who never grows beyond the age of 5.
  • // 1986
    In 1986, Ellison started hosting the radio show ‘Hour 25’ on ‘Pacifica Radio’ in Los Angeles. Harlan had formerly been a recurrent and popular guest at the show. Drawing from this experience as the host, he wrote a short story called ‘The Hour That Stretches’
  • // 1987
    In 1987, he was awarded a ‘Bram Stoker Award’ in the category ‘Best Collection’ for his compilation, ‘The Essential Ellison’.
  • // 1990
    In the 1990s, he did commentary for the program ‘Sci-Fi Buzz’ broadcast on the ‘Sci-Fi Channel’. He also lent his voice in audiobooks written by both himself and other authors.
  • // 2012 To 2013
    In 2012-2013, Ellison voiced for his own character in ‘Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated’, ‘The Shrieking Madness’ and ‘Come Undone’. He again lent his voice to his own character in one episode of the TV show ‘The Simpsons’.

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Harlan Ellison's FAQ

  • What is Harlan Ellison birthday?

    Harlan Ellison was born at 1934-05-27

  • Where is Harlan Ellison's birth place?

    Harlan Ellison was born in Cleveland

  • What is Harlan Ellison nationalities?

    Harlan Ellison's nationalities is American

  • What is Harlan Ellison nick names?

    Harlan Ellison's nickNames is Cordwainer Bird, Nalrah Nosille

  • Who is Harlan Ellison spouses?

    Harlan Ellison's spouses is Lori Horowitz (m. 1976), Susan Anne Toth (m. 1986), Billie Joyce Sanders (m. 1960–1963), Charlotte Stein (m. 1956), Lory Patrick Jones (m. 1966–1966)

  • Who is Harlan Ellison siblings?

    Harlan Ellison's siblings is Beverly Ellison

  • What was Harlan Ellison universities?

    Harlan Ellison studied at Ohio State University, Ohio State University

  • What was Harlan Ellison notable alumnis?

    Harlan Ellison's notable alumnis is Ohio State University

  • How tall is Harlan Ellison?

    Harlan Ellison's height is 159

  • Who is Harlan Ellison's father?

    Harlan Ellison's father is Louis Laverne Ellison

  • Who is Harlan Ellison's mother?

    Harlan Ellison's mother is Serita

  • What is Harlan Ellison's sun sign?

    Harlan Ellison is Gemini

  • How famous is Harlan Ellison?

    Harlan Ellison is famouse as Writer