Thomas E. Gaddis
Encyclopedia
Thomas E. Gaddis was a United States
author, most noted for his book about Robert Stroud, who was known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz". Gaddis was born in Denver, Colorado
. He wrote many non-fiction books, mostly biographies
. In addition to Birdman of Alcatraz (1955) about convicted murderer Robert Stroud, he was author of Killer: A Journal of Murder
(1970), about American serial killer
Carl Panzram
.
The author, born Thomas Eugene Gaddis, wrote Birdman of Alcatraz in 1955. The biography became one of the nation's best-known prison biographies. Birdman of Alcatraz was the story of Robert Stroud, the grandson of a Federal judge, who was sentenced to life imprisonment
in solitary confinement
after stabbing a guard to death in Leavenworth
Federal prison in Kansas. He was serving time in Leavenworth as a consequence of a slaying he committed in Alaska. While in solitary in Leavenworth, Stroud became an expert on birds, writing Stroud's Digest of the Diseases of Birds in Leavenworth from 1939 to 1941.
The 1962 film Birdman of Alcatraz
starred Burt Lancaster
as Stroud. Gaddis was portrayed by Edmond O'Brien
.
Gaddis worked as a court consultant and on various writing projects.
He is also well-known for the following quote:
He died in Portland, Oregon
, on October 10, 1984, at age 76.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author, most noted for his book about Robert Stroud, who was known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz". Gaddis was born in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. He wrote many non-fiction books, mostly biographies
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
. In addition to Birdman of Alcatraz (1955) about convicted murderer Robert Stroud, he was author of Killer: A Journal of Murder
Killer: A Journal of Murder (novel)
Killer A Journal Of Murder is a 1970 biographical novel by American authors Thomas E. Gaddis and James O. Long. The book was republished in 2002 by Amok Books as Panzram: A Journal Of Murder .-Plot:...
(1970), about American serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Carl Panzram
Carl Panzram
Carl Panzram was an American serial killer, arsonist and burglar. He is known for his confession to prison guard and only friend, Henry Lesser. In graphic detail, Panzram confessed to 22 murders, and to having sodomized over 1,000 males...
.
The author, born Thomas Eugene Gaddis, wrote Birdman of Alcatraz in 1955. The biography became one of the nation's best-known prison biographies. Birdman of Alcatraz was the story of Robert Stroud, the grandson of a Federal judge, who was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
after stabbing a guard to death in Leavenworth
United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas...
Federal prison in Kansas. He was serving time in Leavenworth as a consequence of a slaying he committed in Alaska. While in solitary in Leavenworth, Stroud became an expert on birds, writing Stroud's Digest of the Diseases of Birds in Leavenworth from 1939 to 1941.
The 1962 film Birdman of Alcatraz
Birdman of Alcatraz (film)
Birdman of Alcatraz is a 1962 film starring Burt Lancaster and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is a fictionalized version of the life of Robert Stroud, a federal prison inmate known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz" because of his life with birds. In spite of the title, much of the action is set at...
starred Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
as Stroud. Gaddis was portrayed by Edmond O'Brien
Edmond O'Brien
Edmond O'Brien was an American actor who is perhaps best remembered for his role in D.O.A. and his Oscar winning role in The Barefoot Contessa...
.
Gaddis worked as a court consultant and on various writing projects.
He is also well-known for the following quote:
He died in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, on October 10, 1984, at age 76.