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to see the sun and breathe the air. And there isn't really anything else."
Biography
Michael Crichton was a writer and filmmaker, best known as the author of Jurassic Park and the creator of ER.
Crichton graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College, received his MD from Harvard Medical School, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, researching public policy with Jacob Bronowski. He taught courses in anthropology at Cambridge University and writing at MIT. Crichton’s 2004 bestseller, State of Fear, acknowledged the world was growing warmer, but challenged extreme anthropogenic warming scenarios. He predicted future warming at 0.8 degrees C. (His conclusions have been widely misstated.)
Crichton’s interest in computer modeling went back forty years. His multiple-discriminant analysis of Egyptian crania, carried out on an IBM 7090 computer at Harvard, was published in the Papers of the Peabody Museum in 1966. His technical publications included a study of host factors in pituitary chromophobe adenoma, in Metabolism, and an essay on medical obfuscation in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Crichton’s first bestseller, The Andromeda Strain, was published while he was still a medical student. He later worked full time on film and writing. One of the most popular writers in the world, he has sold over 200 million books. His books have been translated into thirty-eight languages and thirteen have been made into films.
He had a lifelong interest in computers. His feature film Westworld was the first to employ computer-generated special effects back in 1973. Crichton’s pioneering use of computer programs for film production earned him a Technical Achievement Academy Award in 1995.
Crichton won an Emmy, a Peabody, and a Writer’s Guild of America Award for ER. In 2002, a newly discovered ankylosaurus was named for him: Crichtonsaurus bohlini. He is survived by his wife Sherri, his daughter Taylor and his son, John Michael.
CRICHTON, (John) Michael. American. Born in Chicago, Illinois, October 23, 1942. Died in Los Angeles, November 4, 2008. Educated at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, A.B. (summa cum laude) 1964 (Phi Beta Kappa). Henry Russell Shaw Travelling Fellow, 1964-65. Visiting Lecturer in Anthropology at Cambridge University, England, 1965. Graduated Harvard Medical School, M.D. 1969; post-doctoral fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, La Jolla, California 1969-1970. Visiting Writer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1988.
References:
Contemporary Authors, 1971-; Who’s Who in America, 1974-; Current Biography, April 1976; Film Encyclopedia, 1979-;International Motion Picture Almanac, 1996; International Television & Video Almanac, 1996.
Awards:
Recipient of Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Allan Poe Award, 1968 (“A Case of Need”, written under pseudonym Jeffery Hudson); and 1980 (“The Great Train Robbery”). Association of American Medical Writers Award, 1970 (“Five Patients”); Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Technical Achievement Award, 1995 (“for pioneering computerized motion picture budgeting and scheduling”); George Foster Peabody Award (for “ER”); Writer’s Guild of America Award, Best Long Form Television Script of 1995 (for “ER”) Emmy, Best Dramatic Series, 1996 (for “ER”). Ankylosaurus named Crichtonsaurus bohlini, 2002.
Associations:
Member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Author’s Guild, Writers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, P.E.N. America Center, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Phi Beta Kappa. Board of Directors, International Design Conference at Aspen, 1985-91; Board of Trustees, Western Behavioral Sciences Institute, La Jolla, 1986-91. Board of Overseers, Harvard University, 1990-96. Board of Directors, Drug Strategies, 1994-, Author’s Guild Council, 1995-, Board of Directors, Gorilla Foundation, 2002-, Board of Trustees, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2006-
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE CALL OPINION IN THE ABSENCE OF EVIDENCE? WE CALL IT PREJUDICE."
IN MEMORIAM
Best-selling author Michael Crichton died unexpectedly in Los Angeles Tuesday, November 4, 2008 after a courageous and private battle against cancer.
While the world knew him as a great story teller who challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us — and entertained us all while doing so — his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, son John Michael, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes. He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget.
Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand.
He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves behind the greatest gifts of a thirst for knowledge, the desire to understand, and the wisdom to use our minds to better our world.
“Michael’s talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the Earth. Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place.”
— Director and Film Producer Steven Spielberg
“Michael Crichton was an extraordinary man. Brilliant, funny, erudite, gracious, exceptionally inquisitive and always thoughtful. No lunch with Michael lasted less than three hours and no subject was too prosaic or obscure to attract his interest. Sexual politics, medical and scientific ethics, anthropology, archaeology, economics, astronomy, astrology, quantum physics and molecular biology were all regular topics of conversation.”
— ER Executive Producer John Wells
“A modern-day Renaissance man. He was a physician, writer, director and producer — few people have done so many things so well. As creator and producer of NBC’s ER, he helped change the face of televised drama.”
— NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker
“He was a nice man, and he died too young — too young.”
— Ray Bradbury
“Michael Crichton was the original creator of ER. He really based ER on his life as a young medical doctor. Michael was always really proud of the fact he had created something and passed it on. He was the starter of it all. He will be greatly missed.”
— Star of ER Anthony Edwards
Did you know Michael Crichton helped define the idea of the “Boss Villain” in modern storytelling?
Whether it’s a rampaging T. rex in Jurassic Park, a runaway virus in The Andromeda Strain, or the gunslinger robot in Westworld, Crichton often built his stories around a single, unforgettable force of nature—the kind of villain that drives fear, suspense, and survival.
This Halloween, we celebrate the monsters, machines, and mysteries that Crichton made legendary.
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#villain #halloween #happyhalloween #halloweenmonster #bossvillain #halloweenmysteries #spookyseason #michaelcrichton #crichton #halloweenmovie #scarymovie #thrillermovie #scifimovie
Oct 31
The Birth of ER 🏥
What began as a screenplay Michael Crichton wrote in 1974, based on his own experiences as a Harvard medical student in the emergency room, wouldn`t premiere until 1994 when @NBC brought his vision to life.
The character of John Carter, portrayed by Noah Wyle, was inspired by Crichton`s own journey through medical school—art imitating the artist`s life.
Crichton wanted to shatter the slow pace of traditional medical dramas. "I wanted ER to go at a regular or faster speed than real life," he said. "Medical shows have been at the Marcus Welby pace; meet a patient, portray the disease of the week. Here we just rip people in and out."
He insisted on depicting the brutal realities of 1990s emergency medicine: gang violence flooding trauma bays, the early AIDS crisis overwhelming staff, uninsured patients using the ER as primary care, and doctors making split-second decisions with incomplete information.
The show tackled what real ERs faced: overcrowding, 36-hour shifts, ethical dilemmas over limited resources, and the emotional toll on healthcare workers long before "burnout" became a buzzword. Dialogue flew as fast as a cardiac arrest response team, with overlapping medical jargon that viewers learned through context, not explanation.
ER, created and executive produced by Michael Crichton, was a revolutionary medical television show that received 124 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won 23, the most for any drama in TV history, and redefined the genre for decades to come. The classic TV series` heartbeat can still be heard all over the world and Michael Crichton`s creation is remarkably more relevant today than ever before which is a testament to his genius.
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Photo: Michael Crichton as an extra on the set of "The Andromeda Strain" (1971)
#michaelcrichton #crichton #nbc #er #emergencyroom #medicaldrama #tvdrama #emmywinner #tvhistory #ertv
Oct 30
With Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton delivered more than just a blockbuster story. Beneath the dinosaurs and spectacle lay a clear warning: technology—especially biotechnology—may be far more dangerous than we realize.
As mathematician Ian Malcolm cautions, “Genetic power is far more potent than atomic power.” Crichton’s novels repeatedly return to this theme: our attempts to control complex systems—whether robots in Westworld, nanotech in Prey, or cloned dinosaurs in Jurassic Park—inevitably collide with human overconfidence, ignorance, and greed.
In his introduction to Prey, Crichton put it plainly: “The total system we call the biosphere is so complicated that we cannot know in advance the consequences of anything that we do.” Decades later, his words still ring true.
Crichton’s work urges us to approach innovation with humility, caution, and respect for the natural world—before our reach exceeds our grasp.
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@brownstoneinstitute
#crichton #michaelcrichton #ianmalcolm #biotech #biotechnology #geneticengineering #prey #jurassicpark #westworld #nanotechnology #dinosaurs #robotics #technology
Oct 28
"I can do research myself, but it will never be as good and inventive as Crichton." — David Koepp
When screenwriter David Koepp returned to the Jurassic franchise after 28 years, he didn`t just revisit the films—he went back to the source. 800 pages across two novels. Meticulous science. Ideas so inventive they`re still fueling stories three decades later.
Thirty-five years after Jurassic Park`s publication, Crichton`s novels are still the blueprint. Still teaching. Still inspiring. Still setting the standard for scientific storytelling.
His work wasn`t just adapted—it became a living resource for generations of filmmakers. That`s what happens when you combine rigorous research with boundless imagination.
The stories may evolve, but the foundation remains Crichton.
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@dgkoepp @universalpictures @indiewire
#MichaelCrichton #Crichton #JurassicWorldRebirth #DavidKoepp #JurassicPark #LegacyOfGenius #SourceMaterial #Storytelling #SciFiMaster #TimelessStories
Oct 27
