Novelist, Screenwriter, Actor. He shall be remembered for his penning of the bestselling, supernaturally-themed work "The Exorcist" (1971), which was made into a popular 1973 motion picture adaptation. He received an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. Born to parents of Lebanese descent, his father was a carpenter. Raised in New York, he attained his bachelors degree Georgetown University and later earned a Master's in English Literature from George Washington University. He served with the United States Air Force in Beirut and after his return home, he pursued his writing career, initially for magazines. An interest in acting was ignited which led to a minor role in the film "No Place to Land" (1958). Blatty will also be remembered for an appearance on the Groucho Marx program "You Bet Your Life" in which he was disguised as an Arab sheik who completely fooled the legendary comedian. During the 1960s, he co-wrote screenplays which included his collaborations with Blake Edwards on the "Pink Panther" sequel "A Shot in the Dark" (1965), "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" (1966) and "Darling Lili" (1970, which starred Edwards' wife Julie Andrews). "The Exorcist" garnered multiple Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and is considered a classic film of the occult genre, particularly of note for its special effects. Blatty went on to write a sequel "Legion" (1983) and later directed the film adaptation titled "The Exorcist III" (1990). A TV series "The Exorcist" which was inspired by Blatty's novel came to fruition in 2016. Blatty showed his versatility with his comedy novel "John Goldfard, Please Come Home!" (1963), which was made into a 1965 motion picture adaptation. His novel "The Ninth Configuration" (originally titled "Twinkle, Twinkle Killer Kane" written in 1966)) was made into a 1980 motion picture adaptation.
Novelist, Screenwriter, Actor. He shall be remembered for his penning of the bestselling, supernaturally-themed work "The Exorcist" (1971), which was made into a popular 1973 motion picture adaptation. He received an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. Born to parents of Lebanese descent, his father was a carpenter. Raised in New York, he attained his bachelors degree Georgetown University and later earned a Master's in English Literature from George Washington University. He served with the United States Air Force in Beirut and after his return home, he pursued his writing career, initially for magazines. An interest in acting was ignited which led to a minor role in the film "No Place to Land" (1958). Blatty will also be remembered for an appearance on the Groucho Marx program "You Bet Your Life" in which he was disguised as an Arab sheik who completely fooled the legendary comedian. During the 1960s, he co-wrote screenplays which included his collaborations with Blake Edwards on the "Pink Panther" sequel "A Shot in the Dark" (1965), "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" (1966) and "Darling Lili" (1970, which starred Edwards' wife Julie Andrews). "The Exorcist" garnered multiple Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and is considered a classic film of the occult genre, particularly of note for its special effects. Blatty went on to write a sequel "Legion" (1983) and later directed the film adaptation titled "The Exorcist III" (1990). A TV series "The Exorcist" which was inspired by Blatty's novel came to fruition in 2016. Blatty showed his versatility with his comedy novel "John Goldfard, Please Come Home!" (1963), which was made into a 1965 motion picture adaptation. His novel "The Ninth Configuration" (originally titled "Twinkle, Twinkle Killer Kane" written in 1966)) was made into a 1980 motion picture adaptation.
Bio by: C.S.
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