United States:Ira Levin, author of the bestselling horror and suspense novels Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wivesand The Boys from Brazil, all made into popular films, has died aged 78.
The New York Timesreported that he died on Monday at his Manhattan home. It quoted his son, Nicholas, as saying the death was of natural causes.
Rosemary's Baby, about a woman who believes she has been impregnated by the Devil, was published in 1967. It was made into an Oscar-winning movie the following year, starring Mia Farrow and directed by Roman Polanski.
Levin's 1972 novel The Stepford Wivesinvolved husbands in a Connecticut town replacing their wives with submissive robots. It was twice adapted by Hollywood - in a 1975 film starring Katharine Ross and a 2004 version with Nicole Kidman.
The Boys From Brazil, published in 1976, featured infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele seeking to clone a new Third Reich. The 1978 film version starred Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier. Levin's first novel, A Kiss Before Dying, published in 1953, was twice made into movies.
- (Reuters)