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Earl Derr Biggers (August 26, 1884 – April 5, 1933) was an American novelist and playwright. His novels featuring the fictional Chinese American detective Charlie Chan were adapted into popular films made in the United States and China.
Earl Derr Biggers (born Aug. 26, 1884, Warren, Ohio, U.S.—died April 5, 1933, Pasadena, Calif.) was an American novelist and journalist best remembered for the popular literary creation Charlie Chan.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the life and works of Earl Derr Biggers, the author who created Charlie Chan, the first positive Chinese detective in American mystery fiction. Discover how he was inspired by a newspaper article, a trip to Hawaii, and a stage play to write six novels featuring the iconic sleuth.
Outright distinguished, stellar in his craft, and worth his salt, Earl Derr Biggers was an American word-slinger whose bibliography awed and inspired bibliophiles and filmmakers in equal measure.
Learn about the life and work of Earl Derr Biggers, the creator of detective Charlie Chan. Find out how he wrote his first Chan book in Hawaii, based on a real Chinese policeman, and how his novels were adapted for the screen.
- August 24, 1884
- April 5, 1933
Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes and villains like Fu Manchu.
Earl Derr Biggers was born on 24 August 1884 in Warren, Ohio, USA. He was a writer, known for The House Without a Key (1926), Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939) and Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935). He was married to Eleanor Ladd. He died on 5 April 1933 in Pasadena, California, USA.
