William Francis Diehl, born December 4, 1924, in Jamaica, N.Y., served as a master sergeant in Italy during World War II. He was a gunner on a bomber, for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross. Diehl graduated from University of Missouri-Columbia with a B.A. in 1949. William Diehl began his writing career in 1949 at the Atlanta Constitution, where he worked his way up from reporter and columnist to managing editor in 1966. Additionally, he worked as a freelance photographer and an actor. His articles have appeared in Esquire, Life, Look, and New York. He started writing his first novel, Sharky's Machine, while serving as a juror. The novel was published in 1978 and was later made into a movie. His 1993 novel Primal Fear also became a movie. He died of aortic embolism on November 24, 2006.
