Cornell Woolrich

Cornell Woolrich (1903–1968) was an American writer known primarily for his dark crime novels and detective stories. He also published under the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley and was a major influence on film noir. Woolrich wrote 26 novels and numerous short stories. His story “It Had to Be Murder” was adapted by Alfred Hitchcock into the film Rear Window (1954), starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. Other works by Woolrich were adapted by filmmakers including François Truffaut and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Before beginning his writing career, he studied journalism at Columbia University in New York, leaving after four semesters.