Mario Puzo was born in 'Hell's Kitchen' on Manhattan's West Side and, following military service in World War II, attended New York's New School for Social Research and Columbia University. His best- known novel, The Godfatber, was preceded by two critically acclaimed novels published in the early sixties, The Fortunate Pilgrim and The Dark Arena; his subsequent novels included Fools Die, The Sicilian, The Fourth K and The Last Don. Mario Puzo was also the author of ten screenplays, including Superman and Superman H. For both of his screenplay adaptations of The Godfather he won Academy Awards. Mario Puzo died in 1999, leaving the completed manuscript of his last novel, Omerta.