Gore Vidal, Writer, Critic, Commentator, Towering Figure in American Letters
Versatile and prolific as a writer, Vidal was also renowned for his charming, erudite and acerbic personality.
Gore Vidal, a writer whose vast body of work included essays, novels, stage plays, screenplays, television scripts and more, died July 31, 2012, in Los Angeles. He was 86.
According to news reports, the cause was pneumonia.
One of the few public figures worthy of the description "literary lion," Vidal did not limit himself to writing. The grandson of Oklahoma Senator Thomas Pryor Gore and onetime stepbrother of Jacqueline Kennedy, Vidal ran for public office himself (albeit unsuccessfully), and also dabbled in acting.
Although best known for his novels and screenplays, Gore also worked extensively in television, and earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for the 1986 miniseries Dress Gray.
His other TV credits included Janet Dean, Registered Nurse, Suspense, Omnibus, Danger, Studio One in Hollywood, Goodyear Playhouse, The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, Climax!, The Buick-Berle Show, G.E. True Theater, Matinee Theatre, Armchair Theater, The Chevy Mystery Show and many others.
In addition, he was a frequent guest on talk shows, always reliable with a witty, acerbic or controversial remark. He even made appearances on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, The Simpsons and Family Guy.
Comprehensive obituaries are available at: