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John Michael CrichtonΒ (/ΛkraΙͺtΙn/; October 23, 1942 β November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature technology and are usually within theΒ science fiction,Β techno-thriller, andΒ medical fictionΒ genres. Crichton's novels often explore human technological advancement and attempted dominance over nature, both with frequently catastrophic results; many of his works areΒ cautionary tales, especially regarding themes ofΒ biotechnology. Several of his stories centre on themes ofΒ genetic modification,Β hybridisation,Β palaeontologyΒ and/orΒ zoology. Many features have medical or scientific underpinnings, reflective of his medical training.
Crichton received anΒ MDΒ fromΒ Harvard Medical SchoolΒ in 1969 but did not practice medicine, instead choosing to focus on his writing. Initially writing under a pseudonym, he eventually published 25 novels in his lifetime, including:Β The Andromeda StrainΒ (1969),Β The Terminal Man (1972),Β The Great Train RobberyΒ (1975),Β Congo (1980),Β SphereΒ (1987),Β Jurassic ParkΒ (1990),Β Rising SunΒ (1992),Β DisclosureΒ (1994),Β The Lost WorldΒ (1995),Β AirframeΒ (1996),Β TimelineΒ (1999),Β PreyΒ (2002),Β State of FearΒ (2004), andΒ NextΒ (2006). Four more novels, in various stages of completion, were published after he died in 2008.
Crichton was also involved in the film and television industry. In 1973, he wrote and directedΒ Westworld, the first film to use 2DΒ computer-generated imagery. He also directedΒ ComaΒ (1978),Β The First Great Train RobberyΒ (1978),Β LookerΒ (1981), andΒ RunawayΒ (1984). He was the creator of the television seriesΒ ERΒ (1994β2009), and several of his novels were adapted into films, most notably theΒ Jurassic ParkΒ franchise.
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