James Clavell (10 Oct. 1921-6 Sept. 1994) was an Australian-American novelist, screenwriter, and director, best-known for the Asian Saga novels, Shōgun (1975), Noble House (1981), and Gai-Jin (1993), and for writing the scripts for The Fly (1958), The Great Escape (1963), and 633 Squadron (1964), for directing To Sir With Love (1967) and as the executive producer of the TV mini-series, Shogun (1980) and Noble House (1988).

Born in Sydney, Australia, Clavell was the son of a Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy Commander, Richard Charles Clavell. James Clavell was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School before returning to Australia. Clavell’s WWII service and experiences of being held at a Japanese POW camp formed the basis of his 1962 novel, King Rat. After studying at the University of Birmingham and entering the British film industry, Clavell relocated to the United States in 1954 and was involved in screenwriting and direction until 1971, when he resumed his career as a novelist. He died at the age of 72 in Vevey, Switzerland.

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