Robert Ludlum (1927-2001) was an American author of thriller novels best known for his character Jason Bourne and the Bourne Trilogy, he also wrote under the pen names Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd. Prior to his writing career Ludlum was a Marine and later worked a theater actor and producer. He published his first book The Scarlatti Inheritance in 1971 and published a number of other thrillers before writing The Bourne Identity in 1980.