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For the 16th-century Catholic martyr, see Robert Ludlum (martyr).

Robert Ludlum
Born	(1927-05-25)25 May 1927 New York City, United States
Died	12 March 2001(2001-03-12) (aged 73) Naples, Florida, United States
Pen name	Jonathan Ryder, Michael Shephard
Occupation	Novelist
Genre	Thriller, Spy fiction, Mystery
Notable works	The Bourne Trilogy

Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 – March 12, 2001) was an American author of 23 thriller novels. The number of his books in print is estimated between 290–500 million copies. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.

Life and career

Ludlum was born in New York City. He was educated at The Rectory School then Cheshire Academy and Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. While at Wesleyan, Ludlum joined the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. After becoming an author later in life, Ludlum would set his mystery novel Matlock Paper at the fictitious Carlyle University in Connecticut, a thinly-disguised Wesleyan.

Prior to becoming an author, he had been a United States Marine, theatrical actor and producer. His theatrical experience may have contributed to his understanding of the energy, escapism and action that the public wanted in a novel. He once remarked: "I equate suspense and good theater in a very similar way. I think it's all suspense and what-happens-next. From that point of view, yes, I guess, I am theatrical." Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. A non-Ludlum book supposedly inspired by his unused notes, Covert One: The Hades Factor, has also been made into a mini-series. The Bourne movies, starring Matt Damon in the title role, have been commercially and critically successful (The Bourne Ultimatum won three Academy Awards in 2008), although the story lines depart significantly from the source material.

During the 1970s, Ludlum lived in Leonia, New Jersey, where he spent hours each day writing in his home.

Ludlum died on March 12, 2001, at his home in Naples, Florida, while recovering from injuries suffered in a fire.

Writing analysis and criticism

Ludlum's novels typically featured one heroic man, or a small group of crusading individuals, in a struggle against powerful adversaries whose intentions and motivations are evil, adversaries capable of using political and economic mechanisms in frightening ways. The world in his writings was one where global corporations, shadowy military forces, and government organizations all conspired to preserve (if it was evil) or undermine (if it was good) the status quo.

Ludlum's novels were often inspired by conspiracy theories, both historical and contemporary. He wrote that The Matarese Circle was inspired by rumors about the Trilateral Commission, and it was published only a few years after the commission was founded. His depictions of terrorism in books such as The Holcroft Covenant and The Matarese Circle reflected the theory that terrorists were only pawns of governments or private organizations that wished to use terror as a pretext for establishing authoritarian rule, not isolated bands of ideologically motivated extremists.

Ludlum used the same fixed titling pattern of The for most of his books. Subsequent to his death, books written by other authors have carried the phrase Robert Ludlum on their covers, thus asserting the name Robert Ludlum as a trademark. The actual author (not technically a ghost writer) is identified inside.

Selected bibliography

Written by other authors.

The Hades Factor (by Gayle Lynds) (2000)
The Cassandra Compact (by Philip Shelby) (2001)
The Paris Option (by Gayle Lynds) (2002)
The Altman Code (by Gayle Lynds) (2003)
The Lazarus Vendetta (by Patrick Larkin) (2004)
The Moscow Vector (by Patrick Larkin) (2005)
The Arctic Event (by James H. Cobb) (2007)
The Ares Decision (by Kyle Mills) (2011)

Sequels to Ludlum books

The Bourne Legacy (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2004)
The Bourne Betrayal (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2007)
The Bourne Sanction (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2008)
The Bourne Deception (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2009)
The Bourne Objective (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2010)
The Bourne Dominion (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2011)
The Bourne Upset (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2012)

Filmography

Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, although the story lines might depart significantly from the source material. In general, a miniseries is more faithful to the original novel on which it is based.

1977 – The Rhinemann Exchange — miniseries — Stephen Collins as David Spaulding, Lauren Hutton as Leslie Jenner Hawkewood
1983 – The Osterman Weekend — film — Rutger Hauer as John Tanner
1985 – The Holcroft Covenant — film — Michael Caine as Noel Holcroft
1988 – The Bourne Identity — miniseries — Richard Chamberlain as Jason Bourne, Jaclyn Smith as Marie St. Jacques
1997 – The Apocalypse Watch — miniseries — Patrick Bergin as Drew Latham
2002 – The Bourne Identity — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne and Franka Potente as Marie Helena Kreutz
2004 – The Bourne Supremacy — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
2006 – Covert One: The Hades Factor — miniseries — Stephen Dorff as Jon Smith
2007 – The Bourne Ultimatum — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
2013 – The Matarese Circle — film — Denzel Washington as Brandon Scofield
2014 – The Chancellor Manuscript — film — Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Chancellor