Michael Crichton – the author of Jurassic Park – has died at the age of 66.
The enormously popular novelist, who also enjoyed success as a film director, passed away following what his family have called, “a courageous and private battle against cancer”.
Crichton, who also created the enormously popular medical drama ER, drawing upon his own experience as a doctor, first turned his hand to movies in 1971 when he adapted Robert Wise’s sci-fi thriller, The Andromeda Strain from his own novel.
In a way, with its mixture of a fantastical sci-fi premise and clinical adherence to science fact, it paved the way for most of his filmed and written output. In particular, many of his novels and films warned of the danger of over-reliance on technology.
His first film as a director, 1973’s Westworld, perfectly illustrated this point, with Yul Brynner so memorable as the robotic gunslinger gone rogue in a futuristic theme park. He would direct five more films over his career, including Coma and The Great Train Robbery.
Now hailed as something of a classic, Westworld had an undeniable influence on Crichton’s most successful creation, Jurassic Park. His tale of a theme park featuring cloned dinosaurs inspired Steven Spielberg – who had been planning to turn ER into a movie, rather than a TV show - to turn it into a 1993 movie which, at the time, was the most successful film ever made.
It led to two movie sequels and, in The Lost World, the only sequel Crichton ever wrote. Many of his other novels were also filmed, including Disclosure, Sphere, Congo, and Timeline. In total, his novels sold over 150 million copies worldwide.
Crichton is survived by his wife, Sherri and daughter Taylor. In a statement, his family said, "Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand."