Arthur C. Clarke

Personal Info

Known For

Writing

Known Credits

23

Gender

Male

Birthday

1917-12-16

Day of death

2008-03-19 (90 years old)

Place of Birth

Minehead, Somerset, England, UK

Arthur C. Clarke

Biography

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke CBE FRAS (16 December 1917 – 19 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the most influential films of all time. Clarke was a science fiction writer, an avid populariser of space travel, and a futurist of a distinguished ability. He wrote many books and many essays for popular magazines. In 1961, he received the Kalinga Prize, a UNESCO award for popularising science. Clarke's science and science-fiction writings earned him the moniker "Prophet of the Space Age". His science-fiction writings in particular earned him a number of Hugo and Nebula awards, which along with a large readership, made him one of the towering figures of the genre. For many years Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov were known as the "Big Three" of science fiction. Clarke was a lifelong proponent of space travel. In 1934, while still a teenager, he joined the British Interplanetary Society. In 1945, he proposed a satellite communication system using geostationary orbits. He was the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society from 1946–1947 and again in 1951–1953. Clarke emigrated to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1956, to pursue his interest in scuba diving. That year, he discovered the underwater ruins of the ancient Koneswaram Temple in Trincomalee. Clarke augmented his popularity in the 1980s, as the host of television shows such as Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World. He lived in Sri Lanka until his death. Clarke was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1989 "for services to British cultural interests in Sri Lanka". He was knighted in 1998 and was awarded Sri Lanka's highest civil honour, Sri Lankabhimanya, in 2005.

Known For

  • Horizon

    Horizon

  • Wogan

    Wogan

  • The Dick Cavett Show

    The Dick Cavett Show

  • God, the Universe and Everything Else

    God, the Universe and Everything Else

  • Fractals: The Colors of Infinity

    Fractals: The Colors of Infinity

  • The Real History of Science Fiction

    The Real History of Science Fiction

  • To Mars by A-Bomb: The Secret History of Project Orion

    To Mars by A-Bomb: The Secret History of Project Orion

  • Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001

    Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001

  • 2010

    2010

  • Without Warning

    Without Warning

  • 2001 and Beyond

    2001 and Beyond

  • I Saw the Future

    I Saw the Future

  • Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe

    Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe

  • 2010 : The Odyssey Continues

    2010 : The Odyssey Continues

  • 9/11 Alchemy: Facing Reality

    9/11 Alchemy: Facing Reality

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey - A Look Behind the Future

    2001: A Space Odyssey - A Look Behind the Future

  • Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World

    Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World

  • Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers

    Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers

  • Rendezvous with the Future

    Rendezvous with the Future

  • Sky Line

    Sky Line

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey – What Is Out There?

    2001: A Space Odyssey – What Is Out There?

  • 2001: The Making of a Myth

    2001: The Making of a Myth

  • Arthur C. Clarke: The Man Who Saw the Future

    Arthur C. Clarke: The Man Who Saw the Future