Woolrich, Cornell (1903–1968)

US writer of suspense fiction. He also wrote under the names William Irish and George Hopley (his middle names). His stories are marked by a bleak, alienated despair and create a sinister, nightmare world. Despite their sometimes clichéd plots, many of these stories were made into films, such as Black Angel 1943 (filmed 1946), greatly contributing to the film noir genre.

He spent most of his adult life as a recluse living in hotels with his mother, writing prolifically until the 1950s.