(August 11, 1921-February 10, 1992)
Best known for 'Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976)'
Other works include 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965),' 'A Different Kind of Christmas (1988)' and 'Queen (1993)'
Wrote articles for 'Reader's Digest' and 'Playboy'

He was sued by Harold Courlander for plagiarizing from his novel 'The African.'
He settled paying Courlander $650,000 for using three paragraphs from 'The African' verbatim in 'Roots.'
He was also sued by Margaret Walker, who claimed he plagiarized from her novel 'Jubilee.'
By far, more people watched the 'Roots' mini-series on television than read the book.
O.J. Simpson acted in the 'Roots' mini-series.

He spent twelve years researching his genealogy, which he traced to Juffure, The Gambia.
'Roots' is based on the slave story of his earliest known ancestor, Kunta Kinte.
He won a special Pulitzer Prize for 'Roots (1977).'
The Kunta Kinte Foundation was established to preserve African-American history.
The 'Roots' television mini-series attracted more than 130 million viewers.
He served in the United States Coast Guard for twenty years (1939-1959).

Credit: D

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• Celebrities who Served in World War II [1939-45]
• Civil Rights Activists
• D's Profiles [Series 01]
• Garrett Morris Impersonations
• Hamilton College's Most Admired Men [1977] (Ranked: 19)
• I Died in 1992 (Ranked: 60)
• Modern Library's 100 Best Non-Fiction Books of the 20th Century (Ranked: 51)
• Profiles 13000-13250 (Ranked: 13199)
• Roots [1977]
• Roots: The Next Generation [1979]
• Springarn Medal Winners (Ranked: 1977)