Biography
Ellison's Emergence
Harlan Ellison was born on May 27, 1934, right outside of Cleveland, Ohio, in the town of Painesville. He was the second child of his parents, Serita and Laverne Ellison. Growing up, Ellison faced lots of discrimination due to his family being the only Jewish family in the area. He was regularly beat up in school and often ran away from home because of the horrendous bullying he faced. When running away from home, Ellison got himself into out of the ordinary jobs, “...tuna fisherman off the coast of Galveston, itinerant crop-picker down in New Orleans, hired gun for a wealthy neurotic, nitroglycerin truck driver in North Carolina, short-order cook, cab driver, lithographer, book salesman, floorwalker in a department store, door-to-door brush salesman…” (Wikipedia). Ellison even worked at a carnival at one point in his avoidances from home. After graduating from East High School he attended the Ohio State University. However, he only attended for 18 months. Ellison was expelled for punching professor who declared that he had no writing talent. Following Ellison’s expulsion in the early 1950s, he began to publish sci-fi fanzines. Specifically, Dimensions, which was formerly known as Bulletin of the Cleveland Science Fantasy Society.
Career Kickoff
Ellison moved around a lot during his life. He moved to New York in 1955 to further pursue his writing, and shortly after, he served in the US Army from 1957-1959. During his service, Ellison published his first book, Rumble, which was later republished as Web of the City. After his service, Ellison moved to Chicago and became an editor for magazines. He then moved back to New York in 1960. Later, in 1962, Ellison moved to southern California. This final move is what really kicked off Ellison’s career. He sold his scripts and screenwritings to Hollywood. His scripts for TV shows included, Star Trek, Burke’s Law, The Twilight Zone, Route 66, The Outer Limits, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Cimarron Strip, and The Flying Nun.
Ellison wrote 70 books, many screenplays, and over 1700 short stories essays. “The Washington Post called him "one of the greatest living American short story writers," and the Los Angeles Times anointed him with the title of "20th Century Lewis Carroll." (Ohio Reading Road Trip) Some of Ellison’s most famous works include, Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman (1965), I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967), and A Boy and His Dog (1969). While Ellison was widely considered a sci-fi writer, he loathed the title, and preferred the term “fantasist.” He mentioned his hatred for being considered a “sci-fi writer” in his short story collection Dangerous Visions. Ellison’s Dangerous Visions collection was considered “the most significant and controversial SF book published in 1967.” (Wikipedia) or the “second revolution” of science fiction.
Ellison's Achievements
Throughout his life, Ellison won an extensive amount of awards. Ellison was awarded eight Hugo Awards, two awards from World SF Conventions, four Nebula Awards of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, six Bram Stoker Awards from Horror Writers Association, two Edgar Awards from Mystery Writers of America, two World Fantasy Awards from annual writing conventions, two George Melies Fantasy Film Awards, the Inkpot Award, the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
Outside of writing, Ellison was a strong advocate for civil rights. He supported gun control, civil rights, and was Anti-Vietnam. Ellison upheld these values because of the discrimination he faced as a kid because his family was Jewish. The experiences he faced in his childhood also influenced his writing style. “Ellison began writing film reviews, essays, and political commentaries, where his opinions on race relations, free speech, and the Vietnam War took hold of his writing. His stories were thought provoking, volatile, anti-authoritarian, and very popular. He published two of his most well-known stories, "I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream" and "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World," in 1967 and 1969 respectively.” (Ohio Reading Road Trip) Ellison also participated in two marches from Selma to Montogomery, Alabama.
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Interesting Facts
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Ellison claimed that James Cameron had plagiarized parts of The Terminator from him. Because of this accusation, later releases of the film gave an inspiration credit to him.
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He sent a dead gopher to a publisher who breached a clause in his contract.
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One of his most famous works, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, was adapted into a video game, and Ellison voiced the god-like AI supercomputer, AM.
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He has an official fan website, https://harlanellison.com/home.htm. It was created in 1995 and is a sci-fi discussion forum.
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He appeared in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and voiced himself.
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He was hired as a writer for Walt Disney Studios, but was shortly fired the same day after making inappropriate remarks about Disney characters.
A screenshot from the videogame adaptation of I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.
Above shows Ellison's feature in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.
