Damon Runyon
Essayist
American author who wrote short stories celebrating the Broadway of New York's post- Prohibition era. His stories inspired the popular musical, Guys and Dolls.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army to fight in the Spanish-American War in 1898. He also had a career as a journalist, and is credited with the syndicated article proclaiming the 1933 inauguration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
His short stories inspired several films and musicals, including Little Miss Marker.
He married Ellen Egan, and the couple had a daughter and a son before splitting in 1928. His second marriage was to Patrice Amati del Grande (who eventually left him for another man).
After Runyon died of throat cancer, his friend and fellow journalist, Walter Winchell, helped establish an organization to fight cancer.