Alex Haley
American writer (1921–1992) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992)[1] was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book Roots: The Saga of an American Family. ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and aired it in 1977 to a record-breaking audience of 130 million viewers. In the United States, the book and miniseries raised the public awareness of black American history and inspired a broad interest in genealogy and family history.[3]
Alex Haley | |
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Born | Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (1921-08-11)August 11, 1921 Ithaca, New York, U.S.[1] |
Died | February 10, 1992(1992-02-10) (aged 70) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
Occupation | Writer |
Education | Alcorn State University Elizabeth City State University |
Spouse | Nannie Branch (1941–1964) Juliette Collins (1964–1972) Myran Lewis (1977–1992)[2] (his death) |
Relatives | Simon Haley (father) George W. Haley (brother) |
Haley's first book was The Autobiography of Malcolm X, published in 1965, a collaboration through numerous lengthy interviews with Malcolm X.[4][5][6]
He was working on a second family history novel at his death. Haley had requested that David Stevens, a screenwriter, complete it; the book was published as Queen: The Story of an American Family. It was adapted as a miniseries, Alex Haley's Queen, broadcast in 1993.