Baker, Elliott 1922-2007 (Elliott Joseph Baker)
Baker, Elliott 1922-2007 (Elliott Joseph Baker)
OBITUARY NOTICE—
See index for CA sketch: Born December 15, 1922, in Buffalo, NY; died of cancer, February 9, 2007, in Los Angeles, CA. Author. Baker was a novelist and screenwriter best known for his award-winning 1964 novel, A Fine Madness, which he also adapted as a movie. He was a 1943 graduate of Indiana University at Bloomington, after which he served in the U.S. Army Infantry during World War II. Born with the last name Cohen, he changed it as he began his writing career. Baker got his start in television, he wrote for such programs as the Robert Montgomery Show and U.S. Steel Hour. His debut novel, A Fine Madness, earned him a Putnam Award and an award from Books and Bookmen. He adapted it in 1966 as a movie of the same title starring Sean Connery. Other than this work, Baker also found some success with The Penny Wars (1968), which he adapted for Broadway the next year, though it only enjoyed a brief run. He was the author of several other novels, as well, including Unrequited Loves (1974), Unhealthful Air (1988), and Doctor Lopez (1995). In addition, Baker penned several television and radio plays.
OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:
PERIODICALS
New York Times, February 21, 2007, p. A20.