Leslie Charteris (MC 22-24) born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, was a British-Chinese author of adventure fiction, as well as a screenwriter. He was best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias The Saint. Leslie became interested in writing at an early age. Once his first book, written during his first year at King’s College, Cambridge, was accepted, he left the university and embarked on a new career. It was his third novel, Meet the Tiger (1928), which introduced his most famous creation, Simon Templar. This would later go on to be made into the television series, The Saint, with Roger Moore starring as Simon Templar. Leslie spent 55 years as either writer of or custodian of Simon Templar’s literary adventures; one of the longest uninterrupted spans by a single author in the history of mystery fiction (equalling that of Agatha Christie who wrote her novels and stories featuring the detective Hercule Poirot over a similar 55 year period). In 1952 he married the Hollywood actress, Audrey Long and the couple eventually returned to England where he spent his last years living in Surrey.
