The Incredible Life of the “Jurassic Park” Author

Throughout the 1960s, 70s, 80s, ’90s, and early 00s, Michael Crichton’s scientific thrillers reigned supreme. Whether you were visiting an amusement park while simultaneously being hunted by a velociraptor, being shoved to the side by a fast-moving gurney in ER, chasing tornadoes over the plains of Oklahoma and Iowa in Twister, or gaining gunslinging abilities in an artificial wild west populated by androids, there’s a chance you entered Crichton’s world by page or by the big screen.

Major novels, major films, video games, and TV shows, none seemed too far out of reach for Crichton and few have even come close to his success over the years. On what would be his 82nd birthday, we’re paying homage to the legend himself.

From Tall Beginnings

While first a writer of novels throughout the 1960s while attending Harvard Medical School, it didn’t take Crichton long to segue into films, screenplays, and directing. At a staggering 6 foot 9 inches tall, to say he commanded the room as a director was an understatement. While his height made him somewhat of a target for middle school bullies, George Clooney, who credits his long and impressive career to Crichton said, “Michael was always referred to as a Renaissance man. That’s because he was so good at so many things. Doctor. Writer. Director. And he was a stunning six-foot-nine figure.

He would walk in the room and all the rest of us mortals felt somewhat inadequate. It was something you had to see. He could reduce giant stars and brilliant directors to little kids looking up to this gentle giant.” It has also been said that his intellect was just as, if not more impressive, than his height. Intellect paired with scientific curiosity and frankly a vision paved the way for a number of hits including, but nowhere near limited to Westworld, Jurassic Park, Twister, The Terminal Man E.R., The Andromeda Strain, and more.

Life Finds A Way: Collabing with Spielberg

As fate would have it, Spielberg had just begun a 7-year contract as a television director when he first met Crichton after being asked to give the author a tour of Universal Studios. Spielberg recalled doing most of the talking that day, but the two became quick friends nonetheless.

Crichton eventually came to Spielberg to read a 150-page screenplay called Code Blue which, after reading, Spielberg committed to directing, “I mean, you couldn’t catch your breath trying to keep up with him when you were blazing through the pages [of his screenplays and books]. . .

When he [later] co-wrote Twister for me, I probably read that script in an hour, and I’m a slow reader, and I was blazing through it” The duo worked together on Code Blue, later Twister, and another little film you may have heard of, Jurassic Park. That is after Crichton would spill the details. One afternoon over lunch Spielberg asked Crichton what he was working on and while Crichton would only say it was a secret project, Spielberg eventually wore him down and got him to say that it was a book about dinosaurs and DNA. The rest is, as we well know, history.

Not Without Controversy

Between the books and the films and the directing and the ticket sales, people could piece together what a big deal Michael Crichton was but even when you’re that popular and beloved, controversy can and will still find you.

A number of his novels took on various hot topics such as feminism and sexual harassment (Disclosure) Japanese corporate dominance of technology (Rising Sun) and global warming (State of Fear).  

Needless to say, Crichton wasn’t afraid to shake things up, command people’s attention, and perhaps most importantly, get people thinking. With over 28 novels and over 200 million copies sold worldwide, things seemed to work out pretty well despite a few negative reviews. 

Lasting Legacy

In Santa Monica, you’ll find a home that Crichton once owned and in that home, you’ll find a large photo of Alfred Hitchcock autographed to Crichton adorning the kitchen, a proud display of his books in the living room, movie posters, book ads, the Time magazine cover from 1995 and an E.R. script signed by the cast preserved in plexiglass. While time tends to march on, it’s important to continue telling the stories of those who can no longer do so themselves which is precisely what Crichton’s wife, Sherri Alexander Crichton, is doing.

Steven Spielberg said it best when he remembered Crichton saying, “He left a huge legacy. Michael had a special imagination different from most other writers. And I think that he’s got a lot of unhatched eggs, you know, and rather than let them sit around and fossilize like amber, we’d like to get those stories out to the world while they’re still fresh.” Michael Crichton passed away from cancer in 2008 and while he’s no longer with us in the physical sense, his legacy lives on through the books he wrote and the films he created.