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70-588: Hyams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Ruth Hurok and Barry Hyams, who was a theatrical producer and publicist on Broadway . His maternal grandfather was Sol Hurok , the Russian Jewish impresario . His stepfather was blacklisted conductor Arthur Lief. His sister is casting director Nessa Hyams. His son John Hyams is also a film director. Hyams studied art and music at Hunter College and Syracuse University before working as

140-495: A science fiction film ; he portrayed himself in the film Without Warning , an American production about an apocalyptic alien first-contact scenario presented in the form of a faux newscast. Clarke also became active in promoting the protection of gorillas and became a patron of the Gorilla Organization , which fights for the preservation of gorillas. When tantalum mining for mobile phone manufacture threatened

210-859: A wheelchair most of the time thereafter. Clarke was for many years a vice-patron of the British Polio Fellowship . In the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours , Clarke was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "for services to British cultural interests in Sri Lanka". The same year, he became the first chancellor of the International Space University , serving from 1989 to 2004. He also served as chancellor of Moratuwa University in Sri Lanka from 1979 to 2002. In 1994, Clarke appeared in

280-434: A 22-year-old American divorcee with a young son. They separated permanently after six months, although the divorce was not finalised until 1964. "The marriage was incompatible from the beginning", said Clarke. Marilyn never remarried and died in 1991. Clarke also never remarried, but was close to a Sri Lankan man, Leslie Ekanayake (13 July 1947 – 4   July 1977), whom Clarke called his "only perfect friend of

350-632: A commentator on science and technology, especially at the time of the Apollo space program . On 20 July 1969, Clarke appeared as a commentator for the CBS News broadcast of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Clarke lived in Sri Lanka from 1956 until his death in 2008, first in Unawatuna on the south coast, and then in Colombo . Initially, he and his friend Mike Wilson travelled around Sri Lanka, diving in

420-485: A cosmos once thought to be province only of gods." A few days before he died, he had reviewed the manuscript of his final work, The Last Theorem , on which he had collaborated by e-mail with contemporary Frederik Pohl . The book was published after Clarke's death. Clarke was buried in Colombo in traditional Sri Lankan fashion on 22 March. His younger brother, Fred Clarke, and his Sri Lankan adoptive family were among

490-639: A flat in Gray's Inn Road , where he got the nickname "Ego" because of his absorption in subjects that interested him, and later named his office filled with memorabilia as his "ego chamber". During the Second World War from 1941 to 1946, he served in the Royal Air Force as a radar specialist and was involved in the early-warning radar defence system, which contributed to the RAF's success during

560-408: A lifetime" in the dedication to his novel The Fountains of Paradise . Clarke is buried with Ekanayake, who predeceased him by three decades, in Colombo's central cemetery. In his biography of Stanley Kubrick , John Baxter cites Clarke's homosexuality as a reason why he relocated, due to more tolerant laws with regard to homosexuality in Sri Lanka . Journalists who enquired of Clarke whether he

630-468: A novel Going All the Way which he intended to adapt and direct but it was not made. The praise for Goodnight My Love meant Hyams was able to get finance for his debut feature as writer-director, Busting (1974), a buddy cop movie starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake. He followed it with Our Time (1974), a romance with Pamela Sue Martin , which he directed only. Hyams made Peeper (1975), for

700-468: A novella in 1948. It was very popular and considered ground-breaking work for some of the concepts it contained. Clarke revised and expanded the novella into a full novel, which was published in 1953. Clarke later rewrote and expanded this work a third time to become The City and the Stars in 1956, which rapidly became a definitive must-read in the field. His third science fiction novel, Childhood's End ,

770-872: A producer/ anchorman for WHDH-TV . During 1966 while working for a CBS owned station in New York, he served three months as a news correspondent in Vietnam. He worked in Boston then in January 1968 he joined WBBM-TV in Chicago as an anchorman and reporter to replace Fahey Flynn . A contemporary report described him as a "glamor type". During his time with CBS (where he worked from 1964 to 1970), he then began to shoot documentary films . Hyams moved to Los Angeles in 1970 where he sold his first screenplay, T.R. Baskin , to Paramount Pictures in 1971. Herbert Ross directed

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840-529: A series of articles written by him on spacecraft and space travel. Clarke also contributed pieces to the "Debates and Discussions Corner", a counterpoint to a Urania article offering the case against space travel, and also his recollections of the Walt Disney film Fantasia . He moved to London in 1936 and joined the Board of Education as a pensions auditor. He and some fellow science fiction writers shared

910-469: A simple dive shop near Trincomalee. He dived often at Hikkaduwa , Trincomalee, and Nilaveli . The Sri Lankan government offered Clarke resident guest status in 1975. He was held in such high esteem that when fellow science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein came to visit, the Sri Lanka Air Force provided a helicopter to take them around the country. In the early 1970s, Clarke signed

980-785: A superior alien intelligence. In the cases of Childhood's End , and the 2001 series, this encounter produces a conceptual breakthrough that accelerates humanity into the next stage of its evolution. This also applies in the far-distant past (but our future) in The City and the Stars (and its original version, Against the Fall of Night ). In Clarke's authorised biography, Neil McAleer writes: "many readers and critics still consider Childhood's End Arthur C. Clarke's best novel." But Clarke did not use ESP in any of his later stories, saying, "I've always been interested in ESP, and of course, Childhood's End

1050-534: A teenager, he joined the BIS, 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 to 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

1120-559: A three-book publishing deal, a record for a science fiction writer at the time. The first of the three was Rendezvous with Rama in 1973, which won all the main genre awards and spawned sequels that along with the 2001 series formed the backbone of his later career. In 1986, Clarke was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America . In 1988, he was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome , having originally contracted polio in 1962, and needed to use

1190-430: A video message to his friends and fans bidding them good-bye. Clarke died in Colombo on 19 March 2008, at the age of 90. His aide described the cause as respiratory complications and heart failure stemming from post-polio syndrome. Just hours before Clarke's death, a major gamma-ray burst (GRB) reached Earth. Known as GRB 080319B , the burst set a new record as the farthest object that can be seen from Earth with

1260-580: Is a minor character named Spota in many of his films, including those which he only wrote (such as 1980's The Hunter ); the exceptions being A Sound of Thunder (although there was a market called "Spota's"), End of Days (although there was a bar called "Spota's"), Narrow Margin , Running Scared , 2010 , Hanover Street and Peeper . In Hanover Street , Harrison Ford pilots a B-25 bomber named Gorgeous George-Ann. Ref.: Executive producer TV movies TV series Narrator Theatrical producer Too Many Requests If you report this error to

1330-409: Is more or less the way it worked out, though toward the end, novel and screenplay were being written simultaneously, with feedback in both directions. Thus, I rewrote some sections after seeing the movie rushes – a rather expensive method of literary creation, which few other authors can have enjoyed." The novel ended up being published a few months after the release of the movie. Due to

1400-434: Is revived by advanced medical science . The novel details the threat posed to humanity by the alien monoliths, whose actions are not always as their builders had intended. Clarke's first venture into film was 2001: A Space Odyssey , directed by Stanley Kubrick . Kubrick and Clarke had met in New York City in 1964 to discuss the possibility of a collaborative film project. As the idea developed, they decided to loosely base

1470-474: Is the highest-grossing film in Hyams' career, grossing over $ 200 million at the worldwide box-office but was met with negative critical reception. Hyams followed with The Musketeer (2001), a new version of the novel by Alexandre Dumas , which was a minor box office success. However, his next film, A Sound of Thunder (2005), a science-fiction movie, had serious difficulties during its production (including

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1540-517: The Battle of Britain . Clarke spent most of his wartime service working on ground-controlled approach (GCA) radar, as documented in the semiautobiographical Glide Path , his only non-science fiction novel. Although GCA did not see much practical use during the war, after several years of development it proved vital to the Berlin Airlift of 1948–1949. Clarke initially served in the ranks and

1610-516: The British Interplanetary Society from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1951 to 1953. Although he was not the originator of the concept of geostationary satellites , one of his most important contributions in this field was his idea that they would be ideal telecommunications relays. He advanced this idea in a paper privately circulated among the core technical members of the British Interplanetary Society in 1945. The concept

1680-532: The Inner Solar System and a spaceship crash on the Jovian moon Europa . The whereabouts of astronaut Dave Bowman (the "Star Child"), the artificial intelligence HAL 9000 , and the development of native life on Europa, protected by the alien Monolith , are revealed. Finally, in 3001: The Final Odyssey , astronaut Frank Poole 's freeze-dried body, found by a spaceship beyond the orbit of Neptune ,

1750-547: The Mirror subsequently published an apology, and Clarke chose not to sue for defamation . The Independent reported that a similar story was not published, allegedly because Clarke was a friend of newspaper tycoon Rupert Murdoch . Clarke himself said, "I take an extremely dim view of people mucking about with boys", and Rupert Murdoch promised him the reporters responsible would never work in Fleet Street again. Clarke

1820-595: The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Later, at the home of Larry Niven in California, a concerned Heinlein attacked Clarke's views on United States foreign and space policy (especially the SDI), vigorously advocating a strong defence posture. Although the two later reconciled formally, they remained distant until Heinlein's death in 1988. 2001: A Space Odyssey , Clarke's most famous work,

1890-616: The geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometres (22,000 mi) above the equator is officially recognised by the International Astronomical Union as the Clarke Orbit . His 1951 book, The Exploration of Space , was used by the rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun to convince President John F. Kennedy that it was possible to go to the Moon. Following the 1968 release of 2001 , Clarke became much in demand as

1960-467: 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

2030-413: The naked eye . It occurred about 7.5 billion years ago, the light taking that long to reach Earth. Larry Sessions, a science writer for Sky and Telescope magazine blogging on earthsky.org, suggested that the burst be named the "Clarke Event". American Atheist Magazine wrote of the idea: "It would be a fitting tribute to a man who contributed so much, and helped lift our eyes and our minds to

2100-467: The July 1986 issue of Playboy magazine, when asked if he had had a bisexual experience, Clarke stated, "Of course. Who hasn't?" In his obituary, Clarke's friend Kerry O'Quinn wrote: "Yes, Arthur was gay ... As Isaac Asimov once told me, 'I think he simply found he preferred men.' Arthur didn't publicise his sexuality – that wasn't the focus of his life – but if asked, he

2170-596: The November 1928 issue of Amazing Stories in 1929; Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon in 1930; and The Conquest of Space by David Lasser in 1931. In his teens, he joined the Junior Astronomical Association and contributed to Urania , the society's journal, which was edited in Glasgow by Marion Eadie. At Clarke's request, she added an "Astronautics" section, which featured

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2240-574: The United States and Sri Lanka. Clarke and Asimov first met in New York City in 1953, and they traded friendly insults and gibes for decades. They established an oral agreement, the "Clarke–Asimov Treaty", that when asked who was better, the two would say Clarke was the better science fiction writer and Asimov was the better science writer. In 1972, Clarke put the "treaty" on paper in his dedication to Report on Planet Three and Other Speculations . In 1984, Clarke testified before Congress against

2310-597: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.132 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 944360952 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:32:51 GMT Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke CBE FRAS (16 December 1917 – 19 March 2008) was a British science fiction writer , science writer, futurist , inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote

2380-460: The ancient original 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

2450-438: The bankruptcy of the original production company during post-production), performed particularly badly at the box office worldwide and was poorly received by critics. He directed an episode of the series Threshold (2005). In 2007, it was reported that he would direct the remake of his own Capricorn One ; instead he directed the remake of the 1956 film noir Beyond a Reasonable Doubt starring Michael Douglas , which

2520-441: The book The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke (2001). For much of the later 20th century, Clarke, Isaac Asimov , and Robert A. Heinlein were informally known as the "Big Three" of science fiction writers. Clarke and Heinlein began writing to each other after The Exploration of Space was published in 1951, and first met in person the following year. They remained on cordial terms for many years, including during visits to

2590-487: The coral waters around the coast with the Beachcombers Club. In 1957, during a dive trip off Trincomalee , Clarke discovered the underwater ruins of a temple, which subsequently made the region popular with divers. He described it in his 1957 book The Reefs of Taprobane . This was his second diving book after the 1956 The Coast of Coral . Though Clarke lived mostly in Colombo, he set up a small dive school and

2660-439: The effect of making the book into a novelisation , and that Kubrick had manipulated circumstances to play down Clarke's authorship. For these and other reasons, the details of the story differ slightly from the book to the movie. The film contains little explanation for the events taking place. Clarke, though, wrote thorough explanations of "cause and effect" for the events in the novel. James Randi later recounted that upon seeing

2730-484: The film and Hyams produced. Hyams made his directorial debut with an ABC Movie of the Week for Aaron Spelling , Rolling Man (1972) starring Dennis Weaver . Hyams worked on it solely as director, with the script being written by the producers. Hyams followed it directing another TV movie which he also wrote, Goodnight, My Love (1972), about a private eye and a dwarf. The film was highly acclaimed. Hyams optioned

2800-423: The film. Hyams directed an episode of Amazing Stories , "The Amazing Falsworth". Hyams had a hit with a buddy cop film, Running Scared (1986) at MGM with Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal . He followed it with The Presidio (1988), another buddy action film, starring Sean Connery and Mark Harmon . In between he executive produced the 1980s cult kids movie The Monster Squad (1987). Less popular

2870-512: The form of recorded addresses. In July 2007, he provided a video address for the Robert A. Heinlein Centennial in which he closed his comments with a goodbye to his fans. In September 2007, he provided a video greeting for NASA 's Cassini probe 's flyby of Iapetus (which plays an important role in the book of 2001: A Space Odyssey ). In December 2007 on his 90th birthday, Clarke recorded

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2940-511: The gorillas in 2001, he lent his voice to their cause. The dive shop that he set up continues to operate from Trincomalee through the Arthur C Clarke Foundation. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Clarke presented his television programmes Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World , Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers , and Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe . On a trip to Florida in 1953, Clarke met and quickly married Marilyn Mayfield,

3010-410: The hectic schedule of the film's production, Kubrick and Clarke had difficulty collaborating on the book. Clarke completed a draft of the novel at the end of 1964 with the plan to publish in 1965 in advance of the film's release in 1966. After many delays, the film was released in the spring of 1968, before the book was completed. The book was credited to Clarke alone. Clarke later complained that this had

3080-412: The job search website Indeed . His second son, John Hyams , is also a film director; Peter performed cinematography duties on John's film Universal Soldier: Regeneration . His third son, Nick Hyams, works as a battle rap promoter and host under the name Lush One. Hyams is known for being his own cinematographer on the movies he has directed since 1984. As a reference to his wife's family, there

3150-506: The political environment in America in the 1980s, the film presents a Cold War theme, with the looming tensions of nuclear warfare not featured in the novel. The film was not considered to be as revolutionary or artistic as 2001 , but the reviews were still positive. Clarke's email correspondence with Hyams was published in 1984. Titled The Odyssey File: The Making of 2010 , and co-authored with Hyams, it illustrates his fascination with

3220-413: The premiere of 2001 , Clarke left the theatre at the intermission in tears, after having watched an eleven-minute scene (which did not make it into general release) where an astronaut is doing nothing more than jogging inside the spaceship, which was Kubrick's idea of showing the audience how boring space travels could be. In 1972, Clarke published The Lost Worlds of 2001 , which included his accounts of

3290-500: The producers of Busting with Michael Caine and Natalie Wood . It was a financial failure and Hyams' career was at a low ebb. He wrote the script Hanover Street which he could have sold outright but Hyams insisted on directing. He wrote the screenplay for the Charles Bronson thriller Telefon (1977), doing a draft for Richard Lester (who ended up not directing the film). It was rewritten extensively. Hyams had written

3360-429: The production, and alternative versions of key scenes. The "special edition" of the novel A Space Odyssey (released in 1999) contains an introduction by Clarke in which he documents the events leading to the release of the novel and film. In 1982, Clarke continued the 2001 epic with a sequel, 2010: Odyssey Two . This novel was also made into a film, 2010 , directed by Peter Hyams for release in 1984. Because of

3430-507: The screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey , widely regarded as 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

3500-496: The script for Capricorn One (1977) a number of years earlier. It was a conspiracy thriller about a faked mission to Mars. Paul Lazarus managed to raise financing with Hyams as director and the film was his first hit. This was followed by the less successful Hanover Street (1979) which starred Harrison Ford . Hyams did a rewrite of Ted Leighton 's screenplay for the Steve McQueen film The Hunter (1980) which he

3570-455: The script. For MGM Hyams produced, directed, and wrote the screenplay for 2010 (1984), collaborating closely with author Arthur C. Clarke ( 2010 ). Hyams also co-authored with Clarke The Odyssey File: The Making of 2010 , published 1985, a collection of their email correspondence which illustrates their fascination with the then pioneering medium, and its use for them to communicate on an almost daily basis while planning and producing

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3640-404: The story on Clarke's short story, " The Sentinel ", written in 1948 as an entry in a BBC short-story competition. Originally, Clarke was going to write the screenplay for the film, but Kubrick suggested during one of their brainstorming meetings that before beginning on the actual script, they should let their imaginations soar free by writing a novel first, on which they would base the film. "This

3710-788: The thousands in attendance. Clarke's papers were donated to the National Air and Space Museum in 2014. On 8 January 2024, a portion of Clarke's ashes were launched on the Peregrine Mission One to the Moon. The Peregrine spacecraft failed to land on the moon, and the spacecraft disintegrated in the Earth's atmosphere on 19 January 2024. While Clarke had a few stories published in fanzines , between 1937 and 1945, his first professional sale appeared in Astounding Science Fiction in 1946: " Loophole "

3780-547: Was Narrow Margin (1990), a remake of the 1952 film, and the comedy Stay Tuned (1992). Hyams had a big hit with the Jean-Claude Van Damme film Timecop (1994). The director and actor subsequently reteamed on Sudden Death (1995) which did less well. Hyams did a horror monster movie called The Relic (1997) which received mixed reviews and grossed $ 48 million at the box office. The blockbuster End of Days (1999) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger

3850-696: Was a corporal instructor on radar at No.   2 Radio School, RAF Yatesbury in Wiltshire. He was commissioned as a pilot officer (technical branch) on 27 May 1943. He was promoted to flying officer on 27 November 1943. He was appointed chief training instructor at RAF Honiley in Warwickshire and was demobilised with the rank of flight lieutenant . After the war, he attained a first-class degree in mathematics and physics from King's College London . After this, he worked as assistant editor at Physics Abstracts . Clarke served as president of

3920-598: Was about that. But I've grown disillusioned, partly because after all this time, they're still arguing about whether these things happen. I suspect that telepathy does happen." A collection of early essays was published in The View from Serendip (1977), which also included one short piece of fiction, " When the Twerms Came ". Clarke also wrote short stories under the pseudonyms of E. G. O'Brien and Charles Willis. Almost all of his short stories can be found in

3990-529: Was also published in 1953, cementing his popularity. Clarke capped the first phase of his writing career with his sixth novel, A Fall of Moondust , in 1961, which is also an acknowledged classic of the period. During this time, Clarke corresponded with C. S. Lewis in the 1940s and 1950s and they once met in an Oxford pub, the Eastgate , to discuss science fiction and space travel. Clarke voiced great praise for Lewis upon his death, saying The Ransom Trilogy

4060-694: Was awarded Sri Lanka's highest civil honour, Sri Lankabhimanya , in 2005. Clarke was born in Minehead , Somerset, England, and grew up in nearby Bishops Lydeard . As a boy, he lived on a farm, where he enjoyed stargazing , fossil collecting , and reading American science fiction pulp magazines . He received his secondary education at Huish's Grammar School in Taunton . Some of his early influences included dinosaur cigarette cards , which led to an enthusiasm for fossils starting about 1925. Clarke attributed his interest in science fiction to reading three items:

4130-509: Was extended well beyond the 1968 movie as the Space Odyssey series. In 1982, Clarke wrote a sequel to 2001 titled 2010: Odyssey Two , which was made into a film in 1984. Clarke wrote two further sequels which have not been adapted into motion pictures: 2061: Odyssey Three (published in 1987) and 3001: The Final Odyssey (published in 1997). 2061: Odyssey Three involves a visit to Halley's Comet on its next plunge through

4200-403: Was gay were told, "No, merely mildly cheerful." However, Michael Moorcock wrote: Everyone knew he was gay. In the 1950s, I'd go out drinking with his boyfriend. We met his protégés, western and eastern, and their families, people who had only the most generous praise for his kindness. Self-absorbed he might be and a teetotaller , but an impeccable gent through and through. In an interview in

4270-523: Was innocent when Hyams' friend also began to voice his doubts about Simpson's innocence. Following Simpson's acquittal, Hyams stated that he found the African-American celebration of the acquittal to be particularly offensive and hurtful, and later severed his ties with Simpson. On December 19, 1964, Hyams married George-Ann Spota, with whom he has three sons. His first son, Chris Hyams, is the CEO of

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4340-587: Was interviewed by Ezra Edelman in the latter's documentary O.J.: Made in America , which touched on Hyams' former friendship with O. J. Simpson , whom he had directed in Capricorn One . In his interview, Hyams revealed his initial belief that Simpson was innocent of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman , but began to have doubts following the revelation of DNA evidence that suggested otherwise. Hyams said he felt particularly betrayed when Simpson continued to insist that he

4410-562: Was made a Knight Bachelor "for services to literature" at a ceremony in Colombo. The award of a knighthood had been announced in the 1998 New Year Honours list, but investiture with the award had been delayed, at Clarke's request, because of an accusation by the tabloid the Sunday Mirror of paying boys for sex. The charge was subsequently found to be baseless by the Sri Lankan police. According to The Daily Telegraph ,

4480-460: Was one of the few works of science fiction that should be considered literature. In 1948, he wrote " The Sentinel " for a BBC competition. Though the story was rejected, it changed the course of Clarke's career. Not only was it the basis for 2001: A Space Odyssey , but "The Sentinel" also introduced a more cosmic element to Clarke's work. Many of Clarke's later works feature a technologically advanced but still-prejudiced mankind being confronted by

4550-485: Was open and honest." Clarke accumulated a vast collection of manuscripts and personal memoirs, maintained by his brother Fred Clarke in Taunton, Somerset, England, and referred to as the "Clarkives". Clarke said some of his private diaries will not be published until 30 years after his death. When asked why they were sealed, he answered, "Well, there might be all sorts of embarrassing things in them." On 26 May 2000, he

4620-523: Was published in Wireless World in October of that year. Clarke also wrote a number of nonfiction books describing the technical details and societal implications of rocketry and space flight. The most notable of these may be Interplanetary Flight: An Introduction to Astronautics (1950), The Exploration of Space (1951), and The Promise of Space (1968). In recognition of these contributions,

4690-504: Was published in April, while " Rescue Party ", his first sale, was published in May. Along with his writing, Clarke briefly worked as assistant editor of Science Abstracts (1949) before devoting himself in 1951 to full-time writing. Clarke began carving out his reputation as a "scientific" science fiction writer with his first science fiction novel, Against the Fall of Night , published as

4760-453: Was released in 2009, was a box office flop , and panned by critics. Hyams also contributed the cinematography to his son John's effort, Universal Soldier: Regeneration , the third official Universal Soldier sequel starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren . Hyams directed the thriller Enemies Closer which began filming in late 2012. It marked his fourth (third directorial) collaboration with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Hyams

4830-510: Was then duly knighted. Although he and his home were unharmed by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake tsunami , his "Arthur C. Clarke Diving School" (now called "Underwater Safaris") at Hikkaduwa near Galle was destroyed. He made humanitarian appeals, and the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation worked towards better disaster notification systems. Because of his post-polio deficits, which limited his ability to travel and gave him halting speech , most of Clarke's communications in his last years were in

4900-402: Was to direct. However he dropped out after clashes with McQueen. He wanted to do a Western but was unable to get financing so he then wrote and directed the science fiction cult classic Outland (1981), which starred Sean Connery in a 'High Noon' scenario set on Io , one of Jupiter's moons. Hyams directed the thriller The Star Chamber (1983), starring Michael Douglas , also rewriting

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