Arthur Hailey (1920–2004) was a British-born Canadian novelist. He wrote many bestselling blockbusters about disasters, several of which enjoyed a new lease of life when filmed.
Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, Hailey served in the Royal Air Force during World War II, flying patrol fighters in the Middle East and transport planes in India. He became a naturalized Canadian in 1947.
Hailey wrote several plot-driven storylines set against the backdrops of such seemingly mundane topics as hotel management, international banking, and snow-packed airports. Hailey helped launch the disaster-movie genre when his novel Airport (1968) was made into a motion picture in 1970.
Hailey’s meticulously researched 11 books—among them Hotel (1965; film 1967; TV film 1983; TV series 1983–88,) Wheels (1971; TV miniseries, 1978,) Strong Medicine (1984; TV film, 1986,) and The Moneychangers (1975; TV miniseries, 1976)—were published in 40 countries in 38 languages, and sold more than 170 million copies.
Hailey’s 1956 screenplay Flight into Danger eventually became the inspiration for the disaster-film spoof Airplane! (1980.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Arthur Hailey
I have been extraordinarily lucky. Anyone who pretends that some kind of luck isn’t involved in his success is deluding himself.
—Arthur Hailey
Topics: Fortune, Luck
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