Tom Tryon

Tom Tryon (January 14, 1926 - September 4, 1991) was an American film and television actor, as well as author of several science fiction, horror, and mystery novels. He was born Thomas Tryon in Hartford, Connecticut. He is usually credited and listed as an author under his birth name. He was the son of silent screen actor Glen Tryon.

Writing Career

Disillusioned with acting, Tryon retired from the profession in 1969 and began writing science-fiction, horror, and mystery novels. His most well-known work is The Other (1971), about a boy whose evil (and dead) twin brother may or may not be responsible for a series of deaths in a small rural community in the 1930s. The novel was adapted as a film the following year, starring Diana Muldaur, Uta Hagen, and John Ritter. Harvest Home, about the dark pagan rituals being practiced in a small New England town, was adapted as The Dark Secret of Harvest Home, a television mini-series starring Bette Davis, in 1978. An extensive critical analysis of Tryon's horror novels can be found in S. T. Joshi's book The Modern Weird Tale (2001).

Related Topics:
1969 - The Other - 1971 - 1930s - Diana Muldaur - Uta Hagen - John Ritter - Harvest Home - Pagan - New England - The Dark Secret of Harvest Home - Bette Davis - 1978 - S. T. Joshi

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His other novels include Crowned Heads, a collection of novellas inspired by the legends of Hollywood. The first of these novellas, Fedora, about a reclusive former film actress whose relationship with her plastic surgeon is similar to that between a drug addict and her pusher, was later filmed by Billy Wilder. Though the film was only moderately successful, it is consiered by many to be a minor classic of the thriller and horror genres. Another novella in the collection was based on the murder of former silent screen star Ramon Navarro. Lady, written in 1975, concerns the friendship between an eight-year-old and a charming widow in 1930s New England and the secrect he discovers about her. Many consider this to be Tryon's best work. His 1989 novel Night of the Moonbow tells the story of a boy driven to violent means by the constant harassment he receives at a summer boys camp. Night Magic, written in 1991 and posthumously published in 1995, is currently slated for a screen adaptation.

Related Topics:
Crowned Heads - Novella - Hollywood - Fedora - Billy Wilder - Ramon Navarro - Lady - 1975 - 1989 - Night of the Moonbow - Night Magic - 1991 - 1995

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