Birdman of Alcatraz

Robert Franklin Stroud (January 28, 1890 – November 21, 1963), known as the Birdman of Alcatraz, was a prisoner in Alcatraz who supposedly found solace from segregation in raising and selling birds. Despite his nickname, he never kept birds in Alcatraz, running his business until transfer to Alcatraz from Leavenworth.

Truth versus Fiction

According to those who knew Stroud while he was in prison, the characterization of Stroud as mild-mannered as presented in Gaddis's book and the subsequent film were largely fiction. The real Stroud had been described as a vicious, unrepentant killer who, according to all accounts, was disliked by most of his fellow inmates. He was kept in segregation not out of vindictiveness but because he was considered extremely dangerous. While incarcerated, Stroud was also known to write pornographic fiction, much of it involving children. These surviving documents point to the fact that Stroud may have been a latent pedophile in addition to his other crimes. One inmate, upon hearing of the "Free Robert Stroud" campaign that accompained the film, reportedly quipped "They don't want to pardon Robert Stroud. They want to pardon Burt Lancaster."

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