Alex Haley
Alex Haley | |
|---|---|
Haley in 1980 | |
| Born | Alexander Murray Palmer Haley August 11, 1921 Ithaca, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 1992 (aged 70) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation | Coast Guardsman, writer |
| Years active | 1939–1992 |
| Spouse |
Nannie Branch
(m. 1941; div. 1964)Juliette Collins
(m. 1964; div. 1972)Myran Lewis (m. 1977) |
| Children | Lydia, William Alex, Dolores, and Alexander Murray Palmer Jr. |
| Relatives | Simon Haley (father) George W. Haley (brother) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Coast Guard |
| Years of service | 1939–1959 |
| Rank | Chief Petty Officer |
Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book Roots: The Saga of an American Family. ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and aired it in 1977 to a record-breaking audience of 130 million viewers. In the United States, the book and miniseries raised the public awareness of black American history and inspired a broad interest in genealogy and family history.
Haley's first book was The Autobiography of Malcolm X, published in 1965, a collaboration through numerous lengthy interviews with Malcolm X.
He was working on a second family history novel at his death. Haley had requested that David Stevens, a screenwriter, complete it; the book was published as Queen: The Story of an American Family. It was adapted as a miniseries, Alex Haley's Queen, broadcast in 1993.