Neither Irwin nor Kurt.

I had an early love of magic, and also movies.

I later achieved success as a hugely popular and prolific author of fantasy and sci-fi short stories, novels, and film/TV work.

Sounds like Ray Bradbury

Or Robert Heinlein?

Animated Puppets got it -- Ray Bradbury, it is!

I remember watching the Martian Chronicles on TV as a kid, and Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite short stories.

Hopefully this one will last a bit longer this time around.

1) George Orwell saw me as "a jingo imperialist," who was "morally insensitive and aesthetically disgusting.

2) I was on the cover of Time Magazine.

3) I was born on 30 December 1865.

Cecil Rhodes

4) My only son John was killed in action at the Battle of Loos in September 1915, at age 18. John had initially wanted to join the Royal Navy, but having had his application turned down after a failed medical examination due to poor eyesight, he opted to apply for military service as an army officer. Again, his eyesight was an issue during the medical examination. In fact, he tried twice to enlist, but was rejected. I pulled some strings, and John was accepted into the Irish Guards. After his death I wrote the following in a poem: "If any question why we died / Tell them, because our fathers lied."

Rudyard Kipling

Yep, I figure you would get it.

5. I was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
6. I was born in India.
7. In 2010, the International Astronomical Union approved that a crater on the planet Mercury should be named after me.

During my freshmen year of high school we were required to memorize and recite 'Gunga Din' before the class. We also had to explain all of the idioms within the poem. This alone determined our grade for the quarter. Almost 40 years later I can still recite it.

OK Jack, you're up.

1. I was born in Ohio.
2. I served in the Navy in the Pacific during WWII -- trained to be a pilot, but dropped when it was discovered I was colorblind
3. After the war, I went to NYC and landed a role on Broadway in a play with Kim Stanley.

Marlon Brando?

Not Marlon.

4. A movie was made of one of the B'way plays I starred in. When the film was made, my part was played by Humphrey Bogart--he was a much bigger star than I was then.

I bet he was a Jazz pianist.

Hmm--not that I'm aware of.

5. One of my films had a jazz-oriented theme where I didn't play a jazz pianist.

Noel Coward

Jimmy Stewart?

Not Noel or Jimmy.

6. I was married for fifty years to the same woman.

7. I once claimed that my greatest accomplishment was that I ranked #19 on Richard Nixon's enemies list.

Carol O'Conner

Not Carol

8. I made lots of money in my salad days, though I gave it away.

9. I eventually won an Oscar, but I really relished those SCCA awards.