Darwin Porter

Darwin Porter (born 1937) is known as one of the writers of the Frommer's travel guides and a sensationalist Hollywood biographer known for books whose source material derives from transcription of oral dialogues from living witnesses of not-widely-publicized events and relationships in the entertainment industry.

Porter was born in western North Carolina and grew up in Miami Beach, Florida. He attended the University of Miami and graduated in 1959. At the age of 20, he became an entertainment columnist for The Miami Herald, later being made bureau chief in Key West.

He has written biographies of Merv Griffin, Michael Jackson, Steve McQueen, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Howard Hughes, Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, and J. Edgar Hoover, all, apart from Jackson, after their deaths. Most of these biographies have illuminated aspects of Hollywood history hitherto unknown to the general public. Some of Porter's works have been serialized by major broadsheet newspapers in the UK, including The Sunday Times. Writing of his novel Butterfly in Heat, James Kirkwood, Jr., co-author of A Chorus Line, wrote, "Darwin Porter writes with an incredible understanding of the milieu - hot enough to singe the wings off any butterfly!"

All of his biographies were published by Blood Moon Productions (www.BloodMoonProductions.com), a New York City-based press directed by former New York Times reporter Danforth Prince. Blood Moon originated as the Georgia Literary Association in 1997.

Porter also recently contributed commentary tracks to numerous DVD releases of classic films.