Richard Matheson

Richard Matheson

Richard Burton Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is perhaps best known as the author of The Shrinking Man, Hell House, What Dreams May Come, Bid Time Return (filmed as Somewhere in Time), A Stir of Echoes, and I Am Legend, all of which have been adapted as major motion pictures, the last at least three times. Matheson also wrote several The Twilight Zone television show episodes for Rod Serling, such as "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", Steel, and others. He later adapted his 1971 short story "Duel" into a screenplay which was directed by a young Steven Spielberg, for the television movie of the same name.