Robert Ardrey | |
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![]() (c.1960) | |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, United States | October 16, 1908
Died | January 14, 1980 Kalk Bay, South Africa | (aged 71)
Occupation | Writer, screenwriter, and playwright |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Chicago, Phi Beta Kappa, 1930 |
Notable works |
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Notable awards | |
Spouses | Helen Johnson (m. 1938–1960; divorced) Berdine Grunewald (m. 1960–1980; his death) |
Robert Ardrey (October 16, 1908 – January 14, 1980) was an American playwright, screenwriter and science writer perhaps best known for The Territorial Imperative (1966). After a Broadway and Hollywood career, he returned to his academic training in anthropology and the behavioral sciences in the 1950s.[1][2]
As a playwright and screenwriter Ardrey received many accolades. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1937,[3] won the inaugural Sidney Howard Memorial Award in 1940, and in 1966 received an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay for his script for Khartoum.[4] His most famous play is Thunder Rock.
Ardrey's science writing challenged models in the social sciences of his time. African Genesis (1961) and The Territorial Imperative (1966), two of his most widely read works, increased public awareness of evolutionary science.[5][6] His work was so popular that some scientists cited it as inspiring them to enter their fields.[7][8]
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