Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Craig Horowitz (born 5 April 1956) is an English novel writer and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series. He has written over fifty books. He has also written many things for television. He has adapted many of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels for the ITV series. He is the creator and writer of the ITV series Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders and Collision.

Background and personal life 
Anthony Horowitz was born in 1956 in Middlesex. His family were Jewish. When he was young, he lived an upper-class lifestyle. Horowitz was overweight and unhappy. He enjoyed reading books from his father's library. At the age of eight, Horowitz was sent to a boarding school. The school was called Orley Farm. It was in Harrow, Middlesex. There, he entertained others by telling them the stories he had read. Horowitz said that his time in the school was "a brutal experience". He said that he was often beaten by the headmaster John Ellis.

Horowitz's father was a "fixer" for prime minister Harold Wilson. Because he was nearly bankrupt, he moved his money into Swiss bank accounts.  He died from cancer when his son, Anthony, was 22. The family was never able to find the missing money, even though they had tried for years.  Horowitz loved his mother. She showed him Frankenstein and Dracula. She also gave him a human skull for his 13th birthday. Horowitz said in an interview once that it reminds him to get to the end of each story because he will soon look like the skull. From the age of eight, Horowitz knew he wanted to be a writer, realising "the only time when I'm totally happy is when I'm writing". He graduated from the University of York with a BA in English literature in 1977.

In at least one interview, Horowitz said that believes H. P. Lovecraft based his fictional Necronomicon on real writing, and to have read some of that writing.

Horowitz lives in North London with his wife Jill Green. He married her in Hong Kong on 15 April 1988. Green produces Foyle's War. Horowitz writes this series for ITV. They have two sons. They are Nicholas Mark Horowitz (born 1989) and Cassian James Horowitz (born 1991). The family have a dog named Lucky, that has been run over 3 times. Horowitz says that his family has a lot to do with his success in writing. This is because he says they help him with ideas and research. Horowitz is a patron of child protection charity Kidscape.

Books and movies

Groosham Grange
 Groosham Grange (1988)
 The Unholy Grail (retitled to Return To Groosham Grange) (1990)

Alex Rider
 Stormbreaker (2000)
 Point Blanc (U.S. title: Point Blank) (2001)
 Skeleton Key (2002)
 Eagle Strike (2003)
 
 Scorpia (2004)
 Ark Angel (2005)
 Snakehead (2007)
 Crocodile Tears (2009)
 Scorpia Rising (2011)
Russian Roulette (2013)
Never Say Die (2017)
Alex Rider: Secret Weapon (2019)
Nightshade (2020)

The Diamond Brothers
 The Falcon's Malteser (1986/96)
 Public Enemy Number Two (1987)
 South By South East (1991/2002)
 The Blurred Man (2003)
 The French Confection (2003)
 I Know What You Did Last Wednesday (2003)
 The Greek Who Stole Christmas (2008)
 Where Seagulls Dare (2021)

Pentagram
 The Devil's Door-Bell (1983)
 The Night of the Scorpion (1983)
 The Silver Citadel (1986)
 Day of the Dragon (1989)

The Power of Five (The Gatekeepers)
 Raven's Gate (1 August 2005)
 Evil Star (2 April 2006)
 Nightrise (3 April 2007)
 Necropolis (30 October 2008)
 Oblivion (November 2012)

Other novels
 Enter Frederick K Bower (1978)
 The Sinister Secret of Frederick K Bower (1979)
 Misha, the Magician and the Mysterious Amulet (1981)
 Robin of Sherwood: The Hooded Man (1986) (with Richard Carpenter)
 Adventurer (1987)
 New Adventures of William Tell (1987)
 Starting Out (1990)
 Granny (1994)
 The Switch (1996)
 The Devil And His Boy (1998)
 Half-Life (2001)

Adult novels
 William S. (1999)
 Mindgame (2001) (made into a play later)
 The Killing Joke (2004)
 The Magpie Murders (2006)
 The House of Silk (Nov, 2011)

Collections
 Myths and Legends (1991)
 Horowitz Horror (1999)
 More Horowitz Horror (2001)
 The Kingfisher Book of Myths and Legends (2003)
 Three of Diamonds (2004)
 More Bloody Horowitz (2009)

Edge: Horowitz Graphic Horror
 The Phone Goes Dead (2010)
 Scared (2010)
 Killer Camera (2010)
 The Hitchhiker (2010)

Graphic novels
 The Power Of Five 1: Raven's Gate (2010)
 Alex Rider : Stormbreaker
 Alex Rider : Point Blanc
 Alex Rider : Skeleton Key

Movies
 Tintin 2 (TBA)

References

Other websites
 Official website
 
 Author profile
 Audio interview regarding Snakehead novel

1956 births
Living people
British children's writers
British Jews
English novelists
English screenwriters
English television producers
English television writers
Writers from London
Writers from Middlesex