John Creasey (17 September 1908 – 9 June 1973) was an English crime and science fiction writer. He published more than 600 novels by 28 different pseudonyms, including Patrick Dawlish, Anthony Morton, Michael Halliday, Kyle Hunt, J.J. Marric, Jeremy York, Richard Martin, Peter Manton, Norman Deane, Gordon Ashe, Henry St. John Cooper, Credo, Robert Caine Frazer, James Marsden, Colin Hughes, Martin Richard, and others, including Westerns under the names of Tex Riley, William K. Reilly, Jimmy Wilde and Ken Ranger, and Romantic novels by the name of Margaret Cooke, M.E. Cooke, and Elise Fecamps. He created several characters which are now famous, such as The Toff, Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard, Inspector Roger West, The Baron, and Doctor Stanislaus Alexander Palfrey. The most popular of these was Gideon of Scotland Yard, who was the basis for the television series Gideon's Way and for the John Ford movie Gideon of Scotland Yard (1958), also known by its British title Gideon's Day.
John Creasey was born in Southfields, Surrey, to a working-class family. He was the seventh of nine children of Ruth and Joseph Creasey, a poor coach maker. Creasey was educated at Fulhan Elementary School and Sloane School, both in London. From 1923 to 1935 he worked various clerical, factory, and sales jobs while trying to establish himself as a writer. After a number of rejections, Creasey's first book was published during 1930. His first crime novel, Seven Times Seven, was published during January, 1932 by Melrose. It was a story about a gang of criminals. During 1935 he became a full-time writer. During 1937 alone, twenty-nine of his books were published. A phenomenally fast writer, he once suggested that he could be shut up in a glass-box and write there a whole book.
The Gideon's Way television series was produced from 1964 to 1966 in the UK, based on the Commander George Gideon character. From 1965 to 1966 a television version of Creasey's The Baron character was produced, starring Steve Forrest as The Baron. Between 1967 and 1971 the BBC produced a radio version of Creasey's Roger West stories with actor Patrick Allen in the title role as Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Roger "Handsome" West, with Allen's real-life wife Sarah Lawson playing the role of West's wife Janet.
During 1938, he created the character The Toff with the first novel Introducing the Toff. The Toff series would continue for 59 novels from 1938 to 1978. The Toff was The Honourable Richard Rollison, who was born a "toff", a courtesy title given to the eldest sons of Viscounts and Barons. He is an aristocrat and an amateur sleuth and detective.
During World War II, he created the character of Dr. Stanislaus Alexander Palfrey, a British secret service agent, who forms Z5, a secret underground group that owes its allegiance to the Allies. The first novel of the Dr. Palfrey series, consisting of 34 titles, was Traitor's Doom, published during 1942 by John Long, while the last was The Whirlwind during 1979.
During 1962, Creasey won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, from the Mystery Writers of America (MWA), for Gideon's Fire, written under the pseudonym J. J. Marric. During 1969 he received the MWA's greatest honor, the Grand Master Award.
Several movies have been made based on John Creasey novels: Salute the Toff (1952, also known as Brighthaven Express in the USA), Hammer the Toff (1952), John Ford's Gideon's Day (1958, also known as Gideon of Scotland Yard in the USA), released by Columbia Pictures, and Cat and Mouse (1958, also known as The Desperate Men in the USA), written as Michael Halliday.
He died at Salisbury, Wiltshire during 1973.
In 2007, his family transferred all of Creasey's copyrights and other legal rights to Owatonna Media. His son Richard is a distinguished television producer, having served both in the private sector and at the BBC, and as the British producer of Patrick Watson's worldwide Canadian television documentary series The Struggle for Democracy
As well as being an author, Creasey was a committed Liberal party affiliate though he later became an independent. He said that he had been organising Liberal street-corner meetings from the age of 12. At the time of the 1945 general election Creasey was Chairman of the local Liberal Association in Bournemouth where his publicity and writing skills were instrumental in helping the Liberals to an atypical second place. He was adopted as prospective parliamentary candidate for Bournemouth West during 1946 and appeared on the platform at the 1947 Liberal Assembly, which was held in Bournemouth.
He fought Bournemouth West in the 1950 general election, coming third. He became increasingly unhappy with the party through the 1950s though and disagreed so much with the party's policy concerning the Suez Crisis he resigned his membership. However after the Orpington by-election success of 1962 and impressed with Jo Grimond's management of the party he seemed to be reviving his Liberal activity. By January 1966 however, he had initiated the All Party Alliance,a pressure group which sought to unite the best people from all parties.
Creasey fought by-elections as an independent in support of this idea during 1967 at Nuneaton, Brierley Hill and Manchester Gorton.He also fought Oldham West during June 1968. He did well for an independent with the first-past-the-post system, having limited resources and often little time to campaign.
In Oldham West he beat his old party's candidate into fourth place. He could not seem to end affection for the Liberal party however, congratulating Birmingham Ladywood by-election victor Wallace Lawler during July 1969 and attending the 1969 party assembly albeit to promote All Party Alliance aims.
During 1953, John Creasey founded the Crime Writer's Association (CWA) in the UK. The CWA New Blood Dagger was awarded in memory of CWA founder John Creasey, this dagger for first books by previously unpublished writers is sponsored by BBC Audiobooks and includes a prize of £1000. This award was known previously as the John Creasey Memorial Dagger.
