Robert Ardrey (October 16, 1908 â€" January 14, 1980) was an American
playwright, screenwriter and science writer perhaps best known for The
Territorial Imperative (1966). After a Broadway and Hollywood career,
he returned to his academic training in anthropology and the
behavioral sciences in the 1950s.As a playwright and screenwriter
Ardrey received many accolades. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
in 1937, won the inaugural Sidney Howard Memorial Award in 1940, and
in 1966 received an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay for
his script for Khartoum. His most famous play, Thunder Rock, is widely
considered an international classic.:63Ardrey's scientific work played
a major role in overturning long-standing assumptions in the social
sciences. In particular, both African Genesis (1961) and The
Territorial Imperative (1966), two of his most widely read works, were
instrumental in changing scientific doctrine and increasing public
awareness of evolutionary science. His work was so popular that many
prominent scientists cite it as inspiring them to enter their
fields.Robert Ardrey was born in Chicago, the son of Robert Leslie
Ardrey, an editor and publisher, and Marie (née Haswell). His father
died in 1919 from pneumonia during the influenza epidemic and he was
raised by his mother.:2 He grew up on the South Side of Chicago and
attended the nearby University of Chicago, graduating Phi Beta Kappa
in 1930 as a Ph.B. While in attendance, he studied creative writing
with Thornton Wilder, who would become his lifelong mentor.:4:12â€"3,
15
playwright, screenwriter and science writer perhaps best known for The
Territorial Imperative (1966). After a Broadway and Hollywood career,
he returned to his academic training in anthropology and the
behavioral sciences in the 1950s.As a playwright and screenwriter
Ardrey received many accolades. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
in 1937, won the inaugural Sidney Howard Memorial Award in 1940, and
in 1966 received an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay for
his script for Khartoum. His most famous play, Thunder Rock, is widely
considered an international classic.:63Ardrey's scientific work played
a major role in overturning long-standing assumptions in the social
sciences. In particular, both African Genesis (1961) and The
Territorial Imperative (1966), two of his most widely read works, were
instrumental in changing scientific doctrine and increasing public
awareness of evolutionary science. His work was so popular that many
prominent scientists cite it as inspiring them to enter their
fields.Robert Ardrey was born in Chicago, the son of Robert Leslie
Ardrey, an editor and publisher, and Marie (née Haswell). His father
died in 1919 from pneumonia during the influenza epidemic and he was
raised by his mother.:2 He grew up on the South Side of Chicago and
attended the nearby University of Chicago, graduating Phi Beta Kappa
in 1930 as a Ph.B. While in attendance, he studied creative writing
with Thornton Wilder, who would become his lifelong mentor.:4:12â€"3,
15
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