Walter Wager
Walter Wager was a prolific American author and aviation law expert, born on September 4, 1924, in the Bronx, New York, to Russian immigrant parents. He demonstrated early academic prowess, entering Columbia University at sixteen and later studying law at Harvard, although he never practiced law. Instead, he carved a niche in aviation, working as an editor for the Journal of Air Law and Commerce and advising the Israeli Department of Civil Aviation. Wager gained prominence in the literary world, publishing over thirty novels primarily in the thriller genre, many of which were adapted into successful films, such as "Telefon" and "Die Hard 2." His writing extended beyond fiction to include radio dramas, nonfiction, and even interviews compiled in his 1967 book, "The Playwrights Speak." Wager also held editorial roles in various arts organizations and was active in the Mystery Writers of America. He passed away on July 11, 2004, leaving behind a diverse legacy in literature and public relations.
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Subject Terms
Walter Wager
Writer
- Born: September 4, 1924
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: July 11, 2004
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
The son of Russian immigrants, Walter Herman Wager was born on September 4, 1924, in the Bronx, New York. He was educated at a private school before entering Columbia University at age sixteen; he received a bachelor’s degree at age nineteen. Wager later studied law at Harvard University and passed the bar exam in 1946. However, he became more interested in aviation and never practiced as an attorney; instead, he became editor of the Journal of Air Law and Commerce in Chicago, Illinois.
In 1949, Wager earned a master’s degree in aviation law at Northwestern University. He was granted a Fulbright scholarship and used it to study at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. In Paris, he met and married fellow American student Sylvia Leonard in 1951. Afterward, Wager worked for several years with the Israeli Department of Civil Aviation, providing advice on law and internal affairs at a Tel Aviv airport.
Wager later became a senior publications editor for the United Nations. In his spare time, he wrote radio dramas and stories and conducted interviews for a number of publications; a volume of his interviews, The Playwrights Speak, was published in 1967. His first novel, Death Hits the Jackpot, was published in 1954 under the pseudonym John Tiger, and he produced more than thirty full-length books during four decades. Most of Wager’s novels were paperback thrillers, dealing with threats on a national or international scale. He also wrote nonfiction, including the autobiography Stutterin’ Boy (coauthored with Mel Tillis); novelizations of popular television series and motion pictures, such as I Spy and Mission Impossible, under the Tiger pseudonym; and a series of three novels, Blue Leader, Blue Moon, and Blue Murder, featuring international private eye Alison Gordon.
For five years in the early 1960’s, Wager was editor in chief of the theatrical periodical Playbill. After joining the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), he edited the association’s newsletter and remained with the organization as a consultant before accepting a similar position in 1978 with the National Music Publishers Association.
Wager’s name came into prominence during the 1970’s and 1980’s. In 1971, he published the thriller Viper Three, which in 1977 was adapted as the film Twilight’s Last Gleaming. His novel Telefon (1975) became a hit film of the same name two years later. His biggest, albeit most unlikely, success was the satire My Side, by King Kong as Told to Walter Wager(1976). Wager’s novel 58 Minutes (1987) was later adapted as the film Die Hard 2 starring Bruce Willis.
Wager married his second wife, Winifred McIvor, in 1975. He worked in public relations for a number of performing groups, including the Juilliard School, the Mann Music Center, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and the University of Bridgeport, until he retired in 1993. He served on the board of directors of the Mystery Writers of America and was secretary of the organization in 2001. His last novel, Kelly’s People, was published in 2002, two years before he died on July 11, 2004.