Susan Orlean
#262,412 Most Popular
About
New Yorker staff writer and non-fiction author known for her book The Orchid Thief, with was the inspiration for the movie Adaptation. She's also written for Esquire and Rolling Stone.
Before Fame
She studied history and literature at the University of Michigan, after which she started writing for the Willamette Weekly in Oregon. She published her first book, Saturday Night, in 1990.
Trivia
A 1998 article of hers, about a group of surfing girls, served as inspiration for Blue Crush. Her academic honors include a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard, an honorary doctorate from Michigan, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Family Life
She was married to Peter Sistrom from 1983-1999. She married John Gillespie in 2001 and has a son and step-son.
Associated With
Meryl Streep portrayed a fictionalized version of Orlean in Adaptation, a role that earned her a Golden Globe.
