Joseph Aloysius Wambaugh, Jr. was an American writer known for both crime fiction and true-crime narratives based on police work in the United States. A former Los Angeles Police Department sergeant, he became one of the most widely read chroniclers of the police experience. He received three Edgar Awards and was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2004.
Born in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wambaugh grew up as the only child in a Roman Catholic family. His father served as a police officer, a role that shaped the themes of his later work. The family later moved to California, where Wambaugh finished high school in Ontario at the age of seventeen. He then joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served for three years.
After military service he studied at California State University, Los Angeles, earning both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees. In 1960 he entered the Los Angeles Police Department and spent fourteen years in the force, rising to detective sergeant. During his LAPD career he began writing fiction in his spare time.
His first novel, The New Centurions (1971), received strong reviews and immediate commercial success. Publication came while he was still a working detective. Three more books followed in close succession, and he also contributed to the Police Story television series, which helped redefine crime drama in the 1970s. Success allowed him to leave the police force and write full-time.
Wambaugh went on to produce both fiction and nonfiction. Novels such as The Blue Knight, The Choirboys and The Black Marble appeared during the 1970s, alongside true-crime works including The Onion Field (1973). Later titles included The Glitter Dome (1981), The Delta Star (1983) and The Secrets of Harry Bright (1985). The Glitter Dome became an HBO film in 1984 starring James Garner, John Lithgow and Margot Kidder.
His nonfiction book Fire Lover: A True Story brought him another Edgar Award in 2003. In the 2000s he taught screenwriting as a guest lecturer at the University of California, San Diego. He returned to the LAPD as a subject in fiction with Hollywood Station (2006), followed by Hollywood Crows (2008), Hollywood Moon (2009), Hollywood Hills (2010) and Harbor Nocturne (2012).
Stephen King once wrote that Wambaugh had been “one of those necessary voices… angry, illuminating, wise, funny and fascinating”. Wambaugh and his wife raised three children and lived in southern California.
He died from oesophageal cancer at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, on 28 February 2025, at the age of 88.
Born in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wambaugh grew up as the only child in a Roman Catholic family. His father served as a police officer, a role that shaped the themes of his later work. The family later moved to California, where Wambaugh finished high school in Ontario at the age of seventeen. He then joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served for three years.
After military service he studied at California State University, Los Angeles, earning both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees. In 1960 he entered the Los Angeles Police Department and spent fourteen years in the force, rising to detective sergeant. During his LAPD career he began writing fiction in his spare time.
His first novel, The New Centurions (1971), received strong reviews and immediate commercial success. Publication came while he was still a working detective. Three more books followed in close succession, and he also contributed to the Police Story television series, which helped redefine crime drama in the 1970s. Success allowed him to leave the police force and write full-time.
Wambaugh went on to produce both fiction and nonfiction. Novels such as The Blue Knight, The Choirboys and The Black Marble appeared during the 1970s, alongside true-crime works including The Onion Field (1973). Later titles included The Glitter Dome (1981), The Delta Star (1983) and The Secrets of Harry Bright (1985). The Glitter Dome became an HBO film in 1984 starring James Garner, John Lithgow and Margot Kidder.
His nonfiction book Fire Lover: A True Story brought him another Edgar Award in 2003. In the 2000s he taught screenwriting as a guest lecturer at the University of California, San Diego. He returned to the LAPD as a subject in fiction with Hollywood Station (2006), followed by Hollywood Crows (2008), Hollywood Moon (2009), Hollywood Hills (2010) and Harbor Nocturne (2012).
Stephen King once wrote that Wambaugh had been “one of those necessary voices… angry, illuminating, wise, funny and fascinating”. Wambaugh and his wife raised three children and lived in southern California.
He died from oesophageal cancer at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, on 28 February 2025, at the age of 88.
years of life: 22 January 1937 – 28 February 2025
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