Charteris, Leslie

▪ 1994

      (LESLIE CHARLES BOWYER YIN), British-born writer (b. May 12, 1907, Singapore—d. April 15, 1993, Windsor, Berkshire, England), created the roguish Simon Templar, known as the Saint, one of the 20th century's most enduring and endearing fictional adventurers. Charteris was born in Singapore (then a British crown colony) to a British mother and a Chinese father, and he spoke Malay and Chinese before he learned English. As a child, he created his own magazine and illustrated it with stick figures he later adapted into the Saint's haloed logo. He was educated in England, but he left Cambridge after a year to write. He held a variety of odd jobs, including tin mining, pearl fishing, bartending, and professional bridge playing, and wrote his first thriller, X Esquire (1927). In 1928 he legally changed his name to Charteris and published his third novel, Meet the Tiger, which introduced the charming and debonair gentleman-thief Templar. Four years later Charteris moved to the U.S., where he became a citizen in 1946. During the 1930s and '40s, he and his modern Robin Hood delighted the public with a series of novels, short stories, and film adaptations. He also wrote other Hollywood scripts, designed comic strips, founded The Saint Mystery Magazine (1953-67), raised money for charity through the Saint Club, and served as a consultant on the popular TV series "The Saint" (1963-68), starring actor Roger Moore, and its two sequels. Altogether, Charteris wrote some 50 novels and story collections; translations were published in at least 15 languages.

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▪ British-American writer

original name  (until 1928) Leslie Charles Bowyer Yin  

born May 12, 1907, Singapore

died April 15, 1993, Windsor, Berkshire, Eng.

      author of highly popular mystery-adventure novels and creator of Simon Templar, better known as “the Saint” and sometimes called the “Robin Hood of modern crime.” From 1928 some 50 novels and collections of stories about “the Saint” were published; translations existed in at least 15 languages.

      The son of a Chinese surgeon and his English wife, Charteris (who changed his name in 1928) briefly attended King's College, Cambridge (1926), and then worked as a merchant seaman; a gold prospector, tin miner, and pearl fisherman, all in Malaya; a bartender; and a professional bridge player in a London club. A U.S. resident from 1932, he was employed from 1933 as a Hollywood screenwriter, preparing scripts for eight “Saint” movies and several other films. Although he was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1946, he later returned to England.

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