Ludlum died of a heart attack on March 12, 2001, at his home in Naples, Florida, while recovering from severe burns caused by a mysterious fire which occurred on February 10, 2001. The Bourne movies, starring Matt Damon in the title role, have been commercially and critically successful ( The Bourne Ultimatum won three Academy Awards in 2008), although the story lines depart significantly from the source material.ĭuring the 1970s, Ludlum lived in Leonia, New Jersey, where he spent hours each day writing at his home. Covert One: The Hades Factor, a book co-written with Gayle Lynds, was originally conceived as a mini-series the book evolved from a short treatment Ludlum wrote for NBC.
Many of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. From that point of view, yes, I guess, I am theatrical." I think it's all suspense and what-happens-next. He once remarked: "I equate suspense and good theater in a very similar way. His theatrical experience may have contributed to his understanding of the energy, escapism and action that the public wanted in a novel. From 1960 to 1970, he managed and produced shows at the Playhouse on the Mall at Bergen Mall in Paramus, New Jersey. In the 1950s, he produced shows at the Grant Lee theater in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Prior to becoming an author, he had been a United States Marine, a theatrical actor and producer. After becoming an author later in life, Ludlum would set his mystery novel The Matlock Paper at the fictitious Carlyle University in Connecticut, a thinly disguised Wesleyan. While at Wesleyan, Ludlum joined the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. He was educated at the Rectory School then Cheshire Academy and Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he earned a B.A. Ludlum was born in New York City, the son of Margaret (née Wadsworth) and George Hartford Ludlum. Life and career Early life and education