Sue Grafton Wiki: Movie, Net Worth, Book & Facts To Know

You probably know Sue Grafton, and perhaps if you have not met her in person, you have met her through her books. Grafton is one of the most famous writers America has had in the 20th century. Before her demise, she had written several best-selling books and screenplays for TV movies. Some Hollywood actors can attest the fact that they have felt like Grafton’s puppets when depicting her characters. Grafton was born in 1940 in Kentucky. Grafton dad was known as C. W. Grafton and her mother’s name was Vivian Hansberger. Both paternal and maternal grandparents of Grafton were missionaries in the Presbyterian church. It seems Grafton learned to write books from her father who happened to be a lawyer and used to write mystery novels on part-time. Grafton’s mother used to be a chemistry teacher. Before, Grafton’s father was in the army during the World War II, but upon his comeback, Grafton said that their home started to fall apart. Grafton attended Atherton High School and after she graduated, she joined the University of Louisville but then proceeded with her studies in Kentucky State Teachers College, before coming back to the University of Louisville where she earned her degree. Grafton also got some minors in humanities and fine arts.

Sue Grafton died aged 77 after a two-year battle with cancer. Grafton was in her home Santa Barbara surrounded by her family including her daughter Ms. Clark and husband, Steve Humphrey. Grafton’s daughter posted the bad news on the author’s website. Grafton’s daughter also said that even though they were prepared and knew that the disease would take her mother, Grafton, but they didn’t think it would be so soon. She also mentioned that Grafton was doing fine in the few days before her death. Grafton was the writer of the Alphabet series. The first alphabet novel in the alphabet series was A for Alibi which was published in 1982. The last one that Grafton wrote was Y for Yesterday that was published in August last year. Grafton’s daughter posted on Facebook that as far as they were concerned, the alphabet series ended in Y. It was then clear that nobody in the family would take over Grafton’s work.

Ms. Clark also said that her mother Sue Grafton never allowed the alphabet series to be converted into TV series or movies because it was against the wish of their ghostwriters. Grafton’s books feature a female private investigator called Kinsey Millhone who lives in Santa Teresa, a fictional town in California. The books are among the best-selling ones in America. Sue Grafton received praises from all corners of the earth for her wit and characters. Grafton also won many awards for his work including a Mystery Writers of America Award and one from British Crime Writers’ Association. The books were doing well and partly built her net worth.

Following Grafton’s demise, fellow authors posted their tributes online. Val McDermid said that Grafton was “amazingly generous.” Sara Paretsky who is a detective fiction author stated that her writing is like Grafton’s and she was grieved after learning that Grafton wasn’t with them anymore.

Grafton wrote the book, “Lolly-Madonna XXX” in 1969. Four years later, the movie “Lolly-Madonna XXX” based on Grafton’s book was released. The film was directed by Richard Sarafian. The movie is set in a rural area in Tennessee. “Lolly-Madonna XXX” movie tells the story of two families living in rural Tennessee. The families are headed by two patriarchs, Pap Gutshall and Laban Feather. The movie ends with the families killing one another leaving only the patriarchs. It helped boost her book sales and increase her net worth.

“A Caribbean Mystery” was written by Agatha Christie. The detective fiction book was published in 1964. After its success, a movie was made out of the novel with the same title. “A Caribbean Mystery” movie was screen written by Sue Grafton and is based on Agatha’s book. In the movie, Miss Marple is on vacation but is thrown into a frenzy after a man who he sits with her called Major Palgrave who narrates to her about a man who murdered people a couple of times and got away with it. While she is in the Bahamas, a retired British officer is killed. The movie helped Sue Grafton grow her net worth.

Another movie that Sue Grafton screen wrote was “Sparkling Cyanide.” The movie is based on the same-titled book by Agatha Screen. “Sparkling Cyanide” is about a Colonel Race who tries to solve what happened to a married couple that was murdered one year apart. The movie also helped Grafton grow her net worth.

Sue Grafton had a net worth of $50 million. Most of her net worth was from the earnings she got from her screenwriting and book sales. Grafton was active from 1964 to 2017.

They say life is short, but everyone leaves some memories. Sue Grafton left some books to read and a legacy. She is a legend in writing. The family she left behind includes her daughter Ms. Clark and husband Steve Humphrey.