Robert Heinlein
Novelist
Science fiction author whose best-known works include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. He received seven Hugo Awards for his work and was named the first Science Fiction Writers Grand Master in 1974.
He served in the U.S. Navy and also campaigned unsuccessfully for a seat in the California State Assembly before beginning his writing career. He published his first science fiction story, Life- Line, in 1939.
His novel, Starship Troopers, was made into a successful cult film in 1997.
He grew up in Kansas City, Missouri as the son of Rex and Bam Heinlein. His first, brief marriage was to fellow Missouri native, Elinor Curry. In 1932, he married his second wife, Leslyn MacDonald.
He and Isaac Asimov, along with Arthur C. Clarke, are considered the "Big 3" of the science fiction genre.