View source for Ray Bradbury

{{Short description|American writer (1920–2012)}}
{{For|Bradbury's 1975 story collection|Ray Bradbury (short story collection){{!}}''Ray Bradbury'' (short story collection)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox writer
| image            = Ray Bradbury (1975) -cropped-.jpg
| alt              = Ray Bradbury in 1975
| caption          = Bradbury in 1975
| pseudonym        = <!-- See TALK#Pseudonyms -- many per ISFDB http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Ray_Bradbury which should be noted here or in prose? -->
| birth_name       = Ray Douglas Bradbury<!-- Please do not change to Raymond - it is unreferenced and incorrect - confirmed at OTRS 2016100910006885-->
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1920|08|22}}
| birth_place      = [[Waukegan, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date       = {{death date and age|2012|06|05|1920|08|22}}
| death_place      = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| resting_place    = [[Westwood Memorial Park]]
| occupation       = Writer
| period           = 1938–2012<ref name=isfdb/>
| genre            = {{cslist
| Fantasy
|[[science fiction]]
| [[horror fiction]]
| [[mystery fiction]]
| [[magic realism]]
}}
| notableworks     = {{plainlist|
* ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'' (1953)
* ''[[The Martian Chronicles]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Something Wicked This Way Comes (novel)|Something Wicked This Way Comes]]'' (1962)
* ''[[The Illustrated Man]]'' (1951)
}}
| spouse           = {{Marriage|Marguerite McClure|1947|2003|end=died}}
| children         = 4, including [[Bettina F. Bradbury|Bettina]]
| awards           = {{plainlist|
* [[American Academy of Arts and Letters]] (1954)
* [[Inkpot Award]] (1974)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot|title=Inkpot Award|date=December 6, 2012|website=Comic-Con International: San Diego}}</ref>
* [[Daytime Emmy Award]] (1994)
* [[National Medal of Arts]] (2004)
* [[Pulitzer Prize Special Citation]] (2007)
}}
| signature        = Ray Bradbury Autograph.svg
| website          = {{URL|www.raybradbury.com/}}
}}

'''Ray<!-- Please do not change to Raymond - it is unreferenced and incorrect - confirmed at OTRS 2016100910006885--> Douglas Bradbury''' ({{IPAc-en|us|ˈ|b|r|æ|d|b|ɛr|i}} {{respell|BRAD|berr|ee}}; 22 August 1920{{spaced ndash}}5 June 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including [[fantasy]], [[science fiction]], [[Horror fiction|horror]], [[mystery fiction|mystery]], and [[Literary fiction|realistic fiction]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://victorianweb.org/genre/index.html |title = "Mode" is replacing "genre" in critical terminology in order to broaden the range of critical discussion of specific types of literary expression. In the following link categorizing Victorian literature, "genre" is used for overall categories, such as poetry and nonfiction, and "mode" is used for particular kinds of literary types, such as realism and fantasy. Retrieved 28 February 2021.}}</ref>

Bradbury is best known for his novel ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'' (1953) and his short-story collections ''[[The Martian Chronicles]]'' (1950), ''[[The Illustrated Man]]'' (1951), and ''[[The October Country]]'' (1955).<ref name="NYT-20120606" /> Other notable works include the [[coming of age]] novel ''[[Dandelion Wine]]'' (1957), the [[dark fantasy]] ''[[Something Wicked This Way Comes (novel)|Something Wicked This Way Comes]]'' (1962) and the fictionalized memoir ''[[Green Shadows, White Whale]]'' (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including ''[[Moby Dick (1956 film)|Moby Dick]]'' and ''[[It Came from Outer Space]]''. Many of his works were adapted into television and film productions as well as comic books. Bradbury also wrote poetry which has been published in several collections, such as ''They Have Not Seen the Stars'' (2001).

''[[The New York Times]]'' called Bradbury "An author whose fanciful imagination, poetic prose, and mature understanding of human character have won him an international reputation" and "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream".<ref name="NYT-20120606">{{cite news |last=Jonas |first=Gerald |title=Ray Bradbury, Master of Science Fiction books, Dies at 91 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/books/ray-bradbury-popularizer-of-science-fiction-dies-at-91.html |date=June 6, 2012 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 5, 2012}}</ref>

==Early life==
Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920, in [[Waukegan, Illinois]], to Esther (née Moberg) Bradbury (1888–1966), a [[Swedish American|Swedish immigrant]], and Leonard Spaulding Bradbury (1890–1957), a power and telephone [[lineman (technician)|lineman]] of English ancestry.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Greasley |editor-first=Philip A. |author=Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature |title=Dictionary of Midwestern Literature |volume=1, The Authors |year=2001 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0253336095 |page=77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZnuYKJSoHCMC&pg=PA77| access-date=March 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>Bloom, Harold ''Ray Bradbury'' 2010 Infobase Publishing., p. 141</ref><ref>Touponce, William F. "Ray (Douglas) Bradbury". ''American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies, Supplement 4''. Ed. A Walton Litz and Molly Weigel. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1996. Literature Resources from Gale. November 16, 2010.</ref><ref>Certificate of Birth, Ray Douglas Bradbury, August 22, 1920, Lake County Clerk's Record #4750. Although he was named after Rae Williams, a cousin on his father's side, Ray Bradbury's birth certificate spells his first name as "Ray".</ref> He was given the middle name "Douglas" after actor [[Douglas Fairbanks]].

Bradbury was surrounded by an extended family during his early childhood and formative years in Waukegan. His grandparents lived next door, and an aunt read him short stories when he was a child.<ref>Paradowski, Robert J. "Ray Bradbury". Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition" 2001:1–5. EBSCO. November 8, 2010.</ref> This period provided foundations for both the author and his stories. In Bradbury's fiction, 1920s Waukegan becomes Green Town, Illinois.

[[File:Ray Bradbury HS Yearbook.jpeg|thumb|upright|Bradbury as a senior in high school, 1938]]

The Bradbury family lived in [[Tucson, Arizona]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-06-06 |title=Ray Bradbury had a special love for Tucson |url=https://tucson.com/news/blogs/editors-blog/article_6bfcdff2-b00e-11e1-9248-0019bb2963f4.html |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=Arizona Daily Star | department=Tales from the Morgue |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nintzel |first=Jim |title=Remembering Ray Bradbury's Tucson Years |url=https://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2012/06/06/remembering-ray-bradburys-tucson-years |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=Tucson Weekly |date=June 6, 2012 |language=en}}</ref> during 1926–1927 and 1932–1933 while their father pursued employment, each time returning to Waukegan. While in Tucson, Bradbury attended Amphi Junior High School and Roskruge Junior High School. They eventually settled in Los Angeles in 1934 when Bradbury was 14. The family arrived with only US$40 ({{Inflation|US|40|1934|fmt=eq}}), which paid for rent and food until his father finally found a job making wire at a cable company for $14 a week ({{Inflation|US|14|1934|fmt=eq}}), allowing them to stay in Hollywood.

Bradbury attended [[Los Angeles High School]] and was active in the drama club. He often roller-skated through Hollywood in hopes of meeting celebrities. Among the creative people he met were special-effects pioneer [[Ray Harryhausen]] and radio star [[George Burns]]. Bradbury's first pay as a writer, at age 14, was for a joke he sold to George Burns to use on the '' [[Burns and Allen]]'' radio show.<ref>[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/08/18/ray-bradbury-has-the-most-amazing-dreams-i-write-screenplays-he-says-with-a-wink-in-the-middle-of-the-night-when-he-wa/ Ray Bradbury's close encounters with W.C. Fields, George Burns...] by Susan King; ''Los Angeles Times'', August 18, 2010 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130205075018/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/08/18/ray-bradbury-has-the-most-amazing-dreams-i-write-screenplays-he-says-with-a-wink-in-the-middle-of-the-night-when-he-wa/ |date=February 5, 2013 }}</ref>

Bradbury was fascinated with carnivals from a young age, and they would feature in such works as ''[[The Illustrated Man]]'' and ''[[Something Wicked This Way Comes (novel)|Something Wicked This Way Comes]]''. He related a formative event of his youth:

{{blockquote|I suppose the most important memory is of Mr. Electrico. On Labor Day weekend, 1932, when I was twelve years old, he came to my hometown with the Dill Brothers ... He was a performer sitting in an electric chair and a stagehand pulled a switch and he was charged with fifty thousand volts of pure electricity. Lightning flashed in his eyes and his hair stood on end. I sat below, in the front row, and he reached down with a flaming sword full of electricity and he tapped me on both shoulders and then the tip of my nose and he cried, "Live, forever!" And I thought, "God, that's wonderful. How do you do that?" ... So when I left the carnival that day I stood by the carousel and I watched the horses running around and around to the music of "[[Beautiful Ohio]]" and I cried. Tears streamed down my cheeks because I knew something important had happened to me that day because of Mr. Electrico. I felt changed. And so I went home and within days I started to write. And I've never stopped.<ref>{{cite news| last=Weller| first=Sam| date=June 6, 2012| title=Ray Bradbury: The author of Fahrenheit 451 recalls the visit to the circus that changed his life.| work= Slate| url=https://slate.com/culture/2012/06/ray-bradbury-the-author-of-fahrenheit-451-recalls-the-visit-to-the-circus-that-changed-his-life.html}}</ref>}}

==Influences==
===Literature===
Throughout his youth, Bradbury was an avid reader and writer and knew at a young age that he was "going into one of the arts".<ref>Litz, A. Walton. American Writers Supplement IV. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1996. Print.</ref><ref name="Paris Review">{{Cite magazine |last=Weller |first=Sam |date=Spring 2010 |title=Ray Bradbury Interview |url=http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6012/the-art-of-fiction-no-203-ray-bradbury |magazine=[[The Paris Review]] |issue=192 |issn=0031-2037 |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref> Bradbury began writing his own stories at age 12 (1931), sometimes writing on butcher paper.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Barnaby |editor-first=Barnaby |editor-last2=Schulz |editor-first2=Monte |title=Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life |publisher=Writer's Digest Books |date=December 15, 2002 |location=Cincinnati, OH |pages=161–164 |language=English |isbn=1582971943}}</ref>

In his youth, he spent much time in the [[List of Carnegie libraries in Illinois|Carnegie Library]] in Waukegan, reading such authors as [[H.&nbsp;G.&nbsp;Wells]], [[Jules Verne]] and [[Edgar Allan Poe]]. At 12, he began writing traditional horror stories and said he tried to imitate Poe until he was about 18. Bradbury's favorite writers growing up included [[Katherine Anne Porter]], [[Edith Wharton]], and [[Jessamyn West (writer)|Jessamyn West]].<ref name="Paris Review"/> He loved the work of [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]], especially his [[John Carter of Mars]] series; ''[[The Warlord of Mars]]'' impressed him so much that at age 12, he wrote his own sequel.<ref>Contemporary Authors Online. ''Ray Bradbury''. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Web.</ref><ref>Heller, Terry. Magill's Survey of American Literature. Revised Edition. Pasadena: Salem Press, 2006. Print.</ref> The young Bradbury was also a cartoonist and loved to illustrate. He wrote about [[Tarzan]] and drew his own Sunday panels. He listened to the radio show ''[[Chandu the Magician (radio)|Chandu the Magician]]'', and every night when the show went off the air, he wrote out the entire script from memory.<ref>{{Cite book |editor-last=McMillan |editor-first=Gloria |year=2013 |title=Orbiting Ray Bradbury's Mars: Biographical, Anthropological, Literary, Scientific and Other Perspectives |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2aYCAQAAQBAJ |series=Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy, 41 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=9780786475766 |oclc=857141273}}</ref>

As a teen in [[Beverly Hills]], he often visited his mentor and friend, science-fiction writer [[Bob Olsen]], sharing ideas and maintaining contact. In 1936, at a secondhand bookstore in Hollywood, Bradbury discovered a handbill promoting meetings of the [[Los Angeles Science Fiction Society]].<ref>The article linked appears in the source, but this name conflicts with the group's web site.</ref> Excited to find others who shared his interest, he joined a Thursday-night conclave at age 16.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Big Read |url=http://www.neabigread.org/books/fahrenheit451/fahrenheit451_04.php |publisher=Neabigread.org |access-date=July 6, 2012 |archive-date=October 31, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111031060704/http://www.neabigread.org/books/fahrenheit451/fahrenheit451_04.php |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bradbury cited Verne and Wells as his primary science-fiction influences. He identified with Verne, saying: "He believes the human being is in a strange situation in a very strange world, and he believes that we can triumph by behaving morally."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weller |first=Sam |year=2010 |title=The Art of Fiction No. 203 |language=en |volume=Spring 2010 |issue=192 |url=https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6012/the-art-of-fiction-no-203-ray-bradbury |access-date=December 29, 2022 |issn=0031-2037}}</ref> Bradbury admitted that he stopped reading science-fiction books in his 20s and embraced a broad field of literature that included poets [[Alexander Pope]] and [[John Donne]].<ref name="playboy"/> He had just graduated from high school when he met [[Robert A.&nbsp;Heinlein]], then 31. Bradbury recalled: "He was well known, and he wrote humanistic science fiction, which influenced me to dare to be human instead of mechanical."<ref name="playboy"/> During his young adulthood, Bradbury read stories published in ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]'' and read everything by Heinlein and [[Arthur C.&nbsp;Clarke]], as well as the early writings of [[Theodore Sturgeon]] and [[A.&nbsp;E.&nbsp;van Vogt]].

===Comics===
As a child, Bradbury collected ''Tarzan'' and ''[[Buck Rogers]]'' comic books, for which he was ridiculed in school. As a teenager, he discovered interest in ''Superman:'' "I recognized myself when I saw him in his reporter's outfit, bloodying his nose as he blundered into that phone booth."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bradbury |first=Ray |title=Superman #400, Introduction |date=October 1984 |publisher=DC Comics}}</ref>

===Hollywood===
The family lived about four blocks from the [[Fox Uptown Theatre]] on [[Western Avenue (Los Angeles)|Western Avenue]] in Los Angeles, the flagship theater for [[MGM]] and [[20th Century Fox|Fox]]. There, Bradbury learned how to sneak in and watched previews almost every week. He roller skated there, as well as all over town, as he put it, "hell-bent on getting autographs from glamorous stars. It was glorious." Among stars the young Bradbury was thrilled to encounter were [[Norma Shearer]], [[Laurel and Hardy]], and [[Ronald Colman]]. Sometimes he spent all day in front of [[Paramount Pictures]] or [[Columbia Pictures]], then skated to the [[Brown Derby]] to watch the stars who came and went for meals. He recounted seeing [[Cary Grant]], [[Marlene Dietrich]], and [[Mae West]], who, he learned, made a regular appearance every Friday night, bodyguard in tow.<ref name="playboy">{{cite journal |author=Ken Kelley |year=1996 |title=About Ray Bradbury Interview |url=http://www.raybradbury.com/articles_playboy.html |journal=Playboy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020312181029/https://raybradbury.com/articles_playboy.html |archive-date=March 12, 2002}}</ref>

==Career==
[[File:Amazing stories 194412.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Bradbury's "Undersea Guardians" was the cover story for the December 1944 issue of ''[[Amazing Stories]]''.]]

Bradbury was free to start a career in writing when, owing to his bad eyesight, he was rejected for induction into the military during [[World War II]]. Inspired by science-fiction heroes such as [[Flash Gordon]] and [[Buck Rogers]], he began publishing science-fiction stories in fanzines in 1938. He was invited by [[Forrest J. Ackerman]]{{Citation needed|date=June 2012}} to attend the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society, which at the time met at [[Clifton's Cafeteria]] in downtown Los Angeles. There he met [[Robert A. Heinlein]], [[Emil Petaja]], [[Fredric Brown]], [[Henry Kuttner]], [[Leigh Brackett]] and [[Jack Williamson]]. Bradbury's first published story was "[[Hollerbochen's Dilemma]]", in the January 1938 number of Ackerman's [[fanzine]] ''Imagination!''.<ref name=isfdb/> In July 1939, Ackerman and his girlfriend [[Morojo]] gave 19-year-old Bradbury the money to head to New York for the [[1st World Science Fiction Convention|First World Science Fiction Convention]] in New York City, and funded Bradbury's fanzine, ''[[Futuria Fantasia]]''.<ref>[http://www.raybradbury.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000825.html Marguerite bradbury – Ray Bradbury Discussion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531133222/http://www.raybradbury.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000825.html |date=May 31, 2017 }} Ray Bradbury Official website</ref> Bradbury wrote most of its four issues, each volume printed in limited number due to publishing costs.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eller |first=Jonathan |title=Becoming Ray Bradbury |year=2011 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=9780252093357 |pages=37}}</ref> Between 1940 and 1947, he was a contributor to [[Rob Wagner (publisher)|Rob Wagner]]'s film magazine, ''Script''.<ref name="Paris Review"/>

In 1939, Bradbury joined [[Laraine Day]]'s Wilshire Players Guild, where for two years he wrote and acted in several plays. They were, as Bradbury later described, "so incredibly bad" that he gave up play-writing for two decades.<ref name="bradbury1972">{{cite book|title=The Veldt|publisher=Dramatic Publishing|author=Bradbury, Ray|author-link=Ray Bradbury| year=1972| location=Woodstock, Illinois|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9YP_awFRqToC&pg=PA4| page=4| isbn=978-1-58342-028-7}}</ref> His first paid piece, "Pendulum", written with [[Henry Hasse]], was published in the pulp magazine ''Super Science Stories'' in November 1941, for which he earned $15.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.s9.com/Biography/Bradbury-Raymond-Douglas| title=Biographies: Bradbury, Raymond Douglas|publisher=s9.com|access-date=December 9, 2009}}</ref>
[[File:Ray Bradbury 1959.JPG|thumb|Bradbury in 1959]]
Bradbury sold his first solo story, "The Lake", for $13.75 at 22 and became a full-time writer by 24.<ref name="playboy"/> His first collection of short stories, ''[[Dark Carnival (short story collection)|Dark Carnival]]'', was published in 1947 by [[Arkham House]], a small press in [[Sauk City, Wisconsin]], owned by [[August Derleth]]. Reviewing ''Dark Carnival'' for the ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]'', [[Will Cuppy]] proclaimed Bradbury "suitable for general consumption" and predicted that he would become a writer of the caliber of British fantasist [[John Collier (fiction writer)|John Collier]].<ref>Cuppy, Will, "Review of Dark Carnival", ''New York Herald Tribune Books'', May 25, 1947.</ref>

After a rejection notice from the pulp ''[[Weird Tales]]'', Bradbury submitted "Homecoming" to ''[[Mademoiselle (magazine)|Mademoiselle]]'', where it was spotted by a young editorial assistant named [[Truman Capote]]. Capote picked the Bradbury manuscript from a [[slush pile]], which led to its publication. "Homecoming" won a place in the [[O. Henry Award]] Stories of 1947.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Robinson|first=Dean|date=June 6, 2012|title=Ray Bradbury, From Truman Capote to A.T.M.'s|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/ray-bradbury-from-truman-capote-to-a-t-m-s/|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=The 6th Floor Blog|language=en}}</ref>

Bradbury first published ''The Fireman'', a short story about 25,000 words long, in ''[[Galaxy Science Fiction]]'' in February 1951. Bradbury was asked to extend it by 25,000 words so that it would be published as a novel. Bradbury got the title after the [[Los Angeles]] fire chief told him that book paper burns at 451&nbsp;°F. In [[UCLA]]'s [[Powell Library]], in a study room with typewriters for rent for ten cents per half-hour, Bradbury wrote his classic story of a [[book burning]] future, ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'', which was about 50,000 words long, costing him $9.80 in typewriter rental fees.<ref>{{cite web |author=NEA |date=June 6, 2010 |title=NEA Big Read: Meet Ray Bradbury |url=https://www.arts.gov/stories/video/nea-big-read-meet-ray-bradbury |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610182031/https://www.arts.gov/stories/video/nea-big-read-meet-ray-bradbury |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=National Endowment for the Arts |publisher=arts.gov}}</ref> ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'' was also published in serial form in the March, April and May 1954 issues of [[Playboy Magazine]].<ref name=aggelis_pxxix>{{cite book|editor-last=Aggelis|editor-first=Steven L.|title=Conversations with Ray Bradbury|year=2004|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|location=Jackson, MS|isbn=1-57806-640-9|page=xxix|quote=...[in 1954 Bradbury received] two other awards—National Institute of Arts and Letters Award in Literature and Commonwealth Club of California Literature Gold Medal Award—for ''Fahrenheit 451'', which is published in three installments in ''Playboy''.}}</ref> ''Fahrenheit 451'' remains a staple in discussions about censorship and dystopian futures.

A chance encounter in a Los Angeles bookstore with British expatriate writer [[Christopher Isherwood]] gave Bradbury the opportunity to put ''[[The Martian Chronicles]]'' into the hands of a respected critic. Isherwood's glowing review followed.<ref name="CI50">{{Citation| last=Isherwood| first=Christopher| author-link=Christopher Isherwood| title=A Review of ''The Martian Chronicles''| journal=Tomorrow| volume=10| pages=56–58| date=October 1950}}</ref>

==Writing==
Bradbury attributed his lifelong habit of writing every day to two incidents. The first, when he was three years old, was his mother's taking him to see [[Lon Chaney, Sr.|Lon Chaney]] in the 1923 silent film ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]''.<ref>Paradowski, Robert J. "Ray Bradbury". Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition (2001): UFO. November 10, 2010.</ref> The second occurred in 1932, when a carnival entertainer, one Mr.&nbsp;Electrico, knighted the young man with an electrified sword and intoned: "Live forever!"<ref name="IHW">{{cite web |url=http://www.raybradbury.com/inhiswords02.html |title=In His Words |publisher=RayBradbury.com |access-date=December 9, 2009 |archive-date=June 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616140758/http://www.raybradbury.com/inhiswords02.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> Bradbury remarked: "I felt that something strange and wonderful had happened to me because of my encounter with Mr.&nbsp;Electrico&nbsp;... [he] gave me a future&nbsp;... I began to write, full-time. I have written every single day of my life since that day 69 years ago."<ref name="IHW"/> At that age, Bradbury first started to do [[Magic (illusion)|magic]], which was his first great love. He said that had he not discovered writing, he would have become a magician.<ref>Terry Sanders's film Ray Bradbury: Story of a Writer (1963).</ref>

Bradbury claimed a wide variety of influences, and described discussions he might have had with his favorite writers, among them [[Robert Frost]], [[William Shakespeare]], [[John Steinbeck]], [[Aldous Huxley]], and [[Thomas Wolfe]]. From Steinbeck, he learned "how to write objectively and yet insert all of the insights without too much extra comment". He studied [[Eudora Welty]] for her "remarkable ability to give you atmosphere, character, and motion in a single line".<ref name="Paris Review"/>

Bradbury was once described as a "[[Midwest]] [[surrealism|surrealist]]" and is often labeled a science-fiction writer. He resisted that categorization, however, defining science fiction as "the art of the possible".<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Conversation with Ray Bradbury (2001) &#124; CosmoLearning English |url=https://cosmolearning.org/videos/a-conversation-with-ray-bradbury-2001-1131/ |access-date=December 29, 2022 |website=CosmoLearning |language=en |archive-date=December 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229072114/https://cosmolearning.org/videos/a-conversation-with-ray-bradbury-2001-1131/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://lists.topica.com/lists/gsn-newsday-list/read/message.html?sort=t&mid=911788456 Ray Bradbury interview] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130205075553/http://lists.topica.com/lists/gsn-newsday-list/read/message.html?sort=t&mid=911788456 |date=February 5, 2013 }}) "I am not a science fiction writer. I am a fantasy writer. But the label got put on me and stuck." March 23, 2005.</ref>

{{Blockquote|
First of all, I don't write science fiction. I've only done one science fiction book and that's ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'', based on reality. Science fiction is a depiction of the real. Fantasy is a depiction of the unreal. So ''[[Martian Chronicles]]'' is not science fiction, it's fantasy. It couldn't happen, you see? That's the reason it's going to be around a long time—because it's a [[Greek myth]], and myths have staying power.
|source=An Interview with Ray Bradbury<ref>{{cite web |author=Devin D. O'Leary |url=http://weeklywire.com/ww/09-27-99/alibi_feat1.html |title=Grandfather Time |publisher=Weekly Wire |date=September 27, 1999 |access-date=February 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407010413/https://weeklywire.com/ww/09-27-99/alibi_feat1.html |archive-date=2022-04-07}}</ref>}}

Bradbury recounted when he came into his own as a writer, the afternoon he wrote a short story about his first encounter with death. When he was a boy, he met a young girl at a lake edge and she went out into the water and never came back. Years later, as he wrote about it in "[[The Lake (short story)|The Lake]]", tears flowed from him. He recognized he had taken the leap from emulating the many writers he admired to connecting with his voice as a writer.<ref>{{cite book |title=Zen in the Art of Writing |first=Ray |last=Bradbury |date=1990}}</ref>

When later asked about source of the lyrical power of his prose, he replied: "From reading so much poetry every day of my life. My favorite writers have been those who've said things well." He said: "If you're reluctant to weep, you won't live a full and complete life."<ref>{{Cite web |first=Mick |last=Mortlock |date=June 7, 2012 |title=Personal lessons from futurist Ray Bradbury on crying, escaping, laughing |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2012/06/personal_lessons_from_futurist.html |department=Opinion |work=[[The Oregonian]] |location=Portland, OR |access-date=December 29, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

In high school, Bradbury was active in the poetry and drama clubs. Planning to become an actor, he became serious about writing as his high-school years progressed. He graduated from Los Angeles High School, where he took poetry classes with Snow Longley Housh and short-story writing courses taught by Jeannet Johnson.<ref>[http://www.spaceagecity.com/bradbury/bio.htm Ray Bradbury Biography]. Ray Bradbury Online. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502055029/http://www.spaceagecity.com/bradbury/bio.htm |date=May 2, 2012 }}.</ref> The teachers recognized his talent and furthered his interest in writing,<ref>Litz, A. Walton, and Molly Weigel, eds. ''American Writers'' (Supp.&nbsp;4, Pt.&nbsp;1). New York: Macmillan Library Reference. 1996. Print.</ref> but he did not attend college. Instead, he sold newspapers at the corner of South Norton Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. In regard to his education, Bradbury said:
{{Blockquote|
Libraries raised me. I don't believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the [[Great Depression|Depression]] and we had no money. I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.<ref name="NYTimes 2009-06-19">{{Cite news |first=Jennifer |last=Steinhauer |title=A Literary Legend Fights for a Local Library |date=June 19, 2009 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/us/20ventura.html |access-date=December 13, 2025}}</ref><ref name=lat-1988oct01>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Scott |date=October 1, 1988 |title=Mayor, Author Launch Library Funding Drive |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-01-me-4256-story.html |access-date=December 29, 2022 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> So I graduated from the library when I was twenty-eight years old.<ref>{{cite web |title=I Graduated from the Library: An Interview with Ray Bradbury |url=https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/05/i-graduated-from-the-library-an-interview-with-ray-bradbury/ |website=Public Libraries Online  |access-date=28 June 2024 |language=en |date=20 May 2013}}</ref><ref name=lat-1988oct01/>
}}

He told ''[[The Paris Review]]'': "You can't learn to write in college. It's a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you do—and they don't."<ref name="Paris Review"/>

He considered science to be "incidental" to his writing. He claimed not to be interested in the development of science, but hoped to use it as a form of social commentary and as an allegorical technique.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=American Writers |date=August 22, 2021 |title=Ray Bradbury 101 |url=https://americanwritersmuseum.org/ray-bradbury-101/ |access-date=July 26, 2022 |website=The American Writers Museum |language=en-US}}</ref>

He described his inspiration: "My stories run up and bite me in the leg—I respond by writing them down—everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Garg |first=Anu |date=August 22, 2017 |title=A.Word.A.Day--deterge |url=https://wordsmith.org/awad/archives/0817 |work=A Word a Day |department=wordsmith.org |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>

==="Green Town"===
An imagined version of Waukegan, Green Town is a symbol of safety and home, which is often the setting for tales of the macabre and the dark fantastic. It serves as the setting of his semiautobiographical classics ''[[Dandelion Wine]]'', ''[[Something Wicked This Way Comes (novel)|Something Wicked This Way Comes]]'', and ''[[Farewell Summer]]'', as well as many of his short stories. In Green Town, Bradbury's favorite uncle sprouts wings, traveling carnivals conceal supernatural powers, and his grandparents provide room and board to [[Charles Dickens]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Summer Morning, Summer Night by Ray Bradbury |url=https://subterraneanpress.com/store/product_detail/summer_morning_summer_night |website=Subterranean Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822143044/http://subterraneanpress.com/store/product_detail/summer_morning_summer_night |archive-date=August 22, 2015}}</ref> Perhaps the definitive use of Green Town is in ''[[Summer Morning, Summer Night]]'', a collection of short stories and vignettes exclusively set in the town. Bradbury returns to the signature locale as a look back at the rapidly disappearing small-town world of the American heartland, which was the foundation of his roots.<ref>Sites from these works which still exist in Waukegan include his boyhood home, his grandparents' home next door (and their connecting lawns where he gathered dandelions with his grandfather to make wine) and, less than a block away, the famous ravine which Bradbury used as a [[metaphor]] throughout his career.</ref>

==Cultural contributions==
Bradbury wrote many short essays on culture and the arts, attracting the attention of critics in this field, using his fiction to explore and criticize his culture and society. He observed, for example, that ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'' touched on the alienation of people by media:

{{Blockquote|In writing the short novel ''Fahrenheit 451'' I thought I was describing a world that might evolve in four or five decades. But only a few weeks ago, in Beverly Hills one night, a husband and wife passed me, walking their dog. I stood staring after them, absolutely stunned. The woman held in one hand a small cigarette-package-sized radio, its antenna quivering. From this sprang tiny copper wires which ended in a dainty cone plugged into her right ear. There she was, oblivious to man and dog, listening to far winds and whispers and soap opera cries, [[sleep walking]], helped up and down curbs by a husband who might just as well not have been there. This was not fiction.<ref>Quoted by [[Kingsley Amis]] in ''New Maps of Hell: A Survey of Science Fiction'' (1960).</ref>}}

Bradbury stated that the novel worked as a critique of the later development of [[political correctness]]:

{{Poem quote|How does the story of ''Fahrenheit 451'' stand up in 1994?
R.B.: It works even better because we have political correctness now. Political correctness is the real enemy these days. The black groups want to control our thinking and you can't say certain things. The homosexual groups don't want you to criticize them. It's thought control and freedom of speech control.<ref name="Conversations with Ray Bradbury">{{cite web |last1=Gasior |first1=Ann |title=Bradbury Talk Likely to Feature the Unexpected |url=http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:168044/datastream/PDF/view |website=Florida State University Libraries |publisher=Dayton Daily News |access-date=2 June 2018 |pages=104–105 |language=en |date=1 October 1994}}</ref>}}

In a 1982 essay, he wrote: "People ask me to predict the Future, when all I want to do is prevent it." This intent had been expressed earlier by other authors, most of whom attributed it to him.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/10/19/prevent-the-future/ |title=I Do Not Want to Predict the Future. I Want to Prevent It|date=October 19, 2010 | publisher=Quote Investigator |access-date=February 21, 2015}}</ref>

On May 24, 1956, Bradbury appeared on the popular quiz show ''[[You Bet Your Life]]'' hosted by [[Groucho Marx]].  During his introductory comments and on-air banter with Marx, Bradbury briefly discussed some of his books and other works, including giving an overview of "[[The Veldt (short story)|The Veldt]]", his short story published six years earlier in ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'' under the title "The World the Children Made".<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBTrUx46b8I| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/NBTrUx46b8I| archive-date=October 29, 2021|title=You Bet Your Life #55-35 Science fiction author Ray Bradbury (Secret word 'House', May 24, 1956)|date=November 16, 2013|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Bradbury was a consultant for the  [[United States Pavilion]] at the [[1964 New York World's Fair]] and wrote the narration script for The American Journey attraction there.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Screen: Riding Through U.S. History; ' The American Journey' Covering 400 Years at Federal Pavilion| work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1964/05/01/106964225.html?zoom=14.8|access-date=July 15, 2020|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nywf64.com/unista09.shtml|title=The American Journey|first=Ray |last=Bradbury}}</ref> He also worked on the original exhibit in [[Epcot]]'s [[Spaceship Earth (Epcot)|Spaceship Earth]] geosphere at [[Walt Disney World Resort|Walt Disney World]].<ref name="Ray Bradbury, Spaceship Earth 1">{{cite web|author=Ray Bradbury|title=In 1982 he created the interior metaphors for the Spaceship Earth display at Epcot Center, Disney World|url=http://www.raybradbury.com/bio.html|access-date=August 13, 2006|archive-date=September 8, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908221118/http://www.raybradbury.com/bio.html}}</ref><ref name="Ray Bradbury, Spaceship Earth 2">{{cite web|url=http://www.raybradbury.com/articles_town_talk.html|author=Ray Bradbury|title=The images at Spaceship Earth in Disney World's EPCOT Center in Orlando? Well, they are all Bradbury's ideas.|access-date=August 13, 2006|archive-date=October 18, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018212058/http://www.raybradbury.com/articles_town_talk.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Ray Bradbury, Spaceship Earth 3">Ray Bradbury. "He also serves as a consultant, having collaborated, for example, in the design of a pavilion in the Epcot Center at Walt Disney World." Referring to Spaceship Earth&nbsp;... [http://www.raybradbury.com/articles_book_mag.html raybradbury.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060912201242/http://www.raybradbury.com/articles_book_mag.html |date=September 12, 2006 }}</ref> He focused on detective fiction in the 1980s.<ref>Litz, A. Walton., and Molly V. Weigel. American Writers: a Collection of Literary Biographies. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print</ref>  In the latter half of the 1980s and early 1990s, he hosted ''[[The Ray Bradbury Theater]]'', a televised [[anthology series]] based on his short stories.

Bradbury was a strong supporter of public libraries, raising money to prevent the closure of several libraries in California facing budgetary cuts. He said "libraries raised me", and shunned colleges and universities, comparing his own lack of funds during the Depression with poor contemporary students.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/us/20ventura.html|title=A Literary Legend Fights for a Local Library|date=June 19, 2009|access-date=June 7, 2012|first=Jennifer|last=Steinhauer|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> His opinion varied on modern technology. In 1985 Bradbury wrote: "I see nothing but good coming from computers. When they first appeared on the scene, people were saying, 'Oh my God, I'm so afraid.' I hate people like that—I call them the neo-[[Luddites]]" and: "In a sense, [computers] are simply books. Books are all over the place, and computers will be, too."<ref name="lemley19850108">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iwjS--W2mG8C&pg=PA133 | title=Other Voices, Other Futures | work=PC Magazine | date=January 8, 1985 | access-date=October 28, 2013 | author=Lemley, Brad | page=133}}</ref> He resisted the conversion of his work into [[e-book]]s, saying in 2010: "We have too many cellphones. We've got too many internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15968500|title=Fahrenheit 451 becomes e-book despite author's feelings|work=BBC News |date=November 30, 2011|access-date=December 1, 2011}}</ref> When the publishing rights for ''Fahrenheit 451'' came up for renewal in December 2011, Bradbury permitted its publication in electronic form provided that the publisher, [[Simon & Schuster]], allowed the e-book to be digitally downloaded by any library patron. The title remains the only book in the Simon & Schuster catalog for which this is possible.<ref name="time obit">{{cite magazine| url=http://entertainment.time.com/2012/06/06/farenheit-451-author-ray-bradbury-dies-at-91/| title='Fahrenheit 451' Author Ray Bradbury Dies at 91| magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=June 6, 2012|access-date=June 6, 2012|first=Robert|last=Jablon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608233645/http://entertainment.time.com/2012/06/06/farenheit-451-author-ray-bradbury-dies-at-91/| archive-date=June 8, 2012}}</ref>

Several comic-book writers have adapted Bradbury's stories, particularly the authors of [[EC Comics]]'s line of horror and science-fiction comics. Initially, the writers plagiarized his stories, but a diplomatic letter from Bradbury led to the company's paying him and negotiating properly licensed adaptations of his work. The comics featuring Bradbury's stories included ''[[Tales from the Crypt (comics)|Tales from the Crypt]]'', ''[[Weird Science (comic)|Weird Science]]'', ''[[Weird Fantasy]]'', ''[[Crime SuspenStories]]'', and ''[[The Haunt of Fear]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 22, 2019|title=Ray Bradbury: Comic Book Hero|url=https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/08/ray-bradbury-comic-book-hero/|access-date=June 17, 2021|website=The Saturday Evening Post|language=en-US}}</ref>

Bradbury remained an enthusiastic playwright all his life, leaving a rich theatrical legacy as well as literary. He headed the Pandemonium Theatre Company in Los Angeles for many years, and had a five-year relationship with the Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ng|first=David|date=June 6, 2012|title=Ray Bradbury, 91, leaves a rich theatrical legacy too|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-ray-bradbury-theater-20120606-story.html|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

Bradbury is featured prominently in two documentaries related to his classic 1950s–1960s era: [[Jason V Brock]]'s ''Charles Beaumont: The Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man'',<ref>French, Lawrence [http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2010/03/richard-matheson-remembers-his-good-friend-charles-beaumont/ "Richard Matheson remembers his good friend Charles Beaumont"], March 24, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2012. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924045224/http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2010/03/richard-matheson-remembers-his-good-friend-charles-beaumont/ |date=September 24, 2017 }}</ref> detailing his troubles with [[Rod Serling]] and his friendships with writers [[Charles Beaumont]], [[George Clayton Johnson]], and most especially his dear<!--TONE!--> friend [[William F. Nolan]]; and Brock's ''The AckerMonster Chronicles!'', which delves into the life of former Bradbury agent, close friend, mega-fan<!--TONE!--> and ''[[Famous Monsters of Filmland]]'' editor Forrest J Ackerman.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

Bradbury's legacy was celebrated by the bookstore [[Fahrenheit 451 Books]] in Laguna Beach, California, in the 1970s and 1980s. He and his favorite illustrator, [[Joseph Mugnaini]], attended the opening of an addition to the store in the mid-1980s. It closed its doors in 1987, but in 1990, another shop of the same name (with different owners) opened in Carlsbad, California.<ref>Ray Riegert, ''Hidden Coast of California: The Adventurer's Guide'' (Berkeley, Cal.: Ulysses Press, 1988), p. 133.</ref>

In the 1980s and 1990s, Bradbury served on the advisory board of the [[Los Angeles Student Film Institute]].<ref>{{cite book|title=National Student Film Institute/L.A: The Sixteenth Annual Los Angeles Student Film Festival|date=June 10, 1994 |location=The Directors Guild Theatre, Los Angeles |publisher=The Directors Guild |pages=10–11|ref=Program}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Los Angeles Student Film Institute: 13th Annual Student Film Festival|date=June 7, 1991 |location=The Directors Guild Theatre, Los Angeles |publisher=The Directors Guild|page=3|ref=Program}}</ref>

Bradbury was also the opening-night speaker at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference for well over 30 years, providing inspiration and advice to other writers.<ref>{{cite web | last=Miles Gulbransen | first=Susan | title=Ray Bradbury's Gift to Santa Barbara Writers | website=Santa Barbara Writers Conference | date=2012-06-08 | url=https://www.sbwriters.com/blog/2012/06/ray-bradburys-gift-to-santa-barbara-writers/ | access-date=2025-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Schulz | first=Monte | title=Ray Bradbury (1920 - 2012) | website=Santa Barbara Writers Conference | date=2012-06-07 | url=https://www.sbwriters.com/blog/2012/06/ray-bradbury/ | access-date=2025-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=The history of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference — 1994 | website=Santa Barbara Writers Conference | date=2016-12-23 | url=https://www.sbwriters.com/blog/2016/12/the-history-of-the-santa-barbara-writers-conference-1994/ | access-date=2025-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Radevich | first=Maja | title=Writers Conference : Fiction Fixture : Sci-fi author Ray Bradbury will once again give the opening talk at the Santa Barbara conference. | website=Los Angeles Times | date=1990-06-21 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-21-vl-482-story.html | access-date=2025-08-15}}</ref> He was an integral part of the conference since its beginnings in 1972, and spoke at the first conference in 1973.<ref>{{cite web | last=Rachow | first=Grace | title=SBWC 1973 | website=Santa Barbara Writers Conference | date=2023-01-02 | url=https://www.sbwriters.com/blog/2023/1/2/sbwc-1973 | access-date=2025-08-16}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Ray Bradbury 2009.jpg|thumb|upright|Bradbury in 2009]]
[[File:Ray Bradbury and his wife Maggie.jpg|thumb|270px|Ray and Maggie Bradbury in their Los Angeles home and Ray's office in 1970. The office is recreated in the [[Ray Bradbury Center]] in Indianapolis.]]
Bradbury lived in his parents' home until, in 1947, at age 27, he married Marguerite McClure (January 16, 1922&nbsp;– November 24, 2003). They remained married until her death. Maggie, as she was affectionately called, was the only woman he ever dated.<ref name="playboy"/> They had four daughters:<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9315001/Ray-Bradbury.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9315001/Ray-Bradbury.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Telegraph obituary |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=June 6, 2012 |access-date= June 6, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Susan, Ramona, [[Bettina F. Bradbury|Bettina]], and Alexandra.<ref name="BBC dies"/> Bradbury never obtained a driver's license, but used public transportation or his bicycle.<ref>{{cite web|last=Riddle |first=Warren |url=http://www.switched.com/2009/06/25/author-ray-bradbury-on-the-web-not-real-its-in-the-air-somew/ |title=Sci-Fi Author Ray Bradbury Trashes the Web |publisher=Switched |date=June 25, 2009 |access-date=December 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001142931/http://www.switched.com/2009/06/25/author-ray-bradbury-on-the-web-not-real-its-in-the-air-somew/ |archive-date=October 1, 2011 }}</ref>

He was raised [[Baptist]] by his parents, who were infrequent churchgoers. As an adult, Bradbury said he considered himself a "delicatessen religionist" who resisted categorization of his beliefs and took guidance from both Eastern and Western faiths. He felt that his career was "a God-given thing, and I'm so grateful, so, so grateful. The best description of my career as a writer is 'At play in the fields of the Lord'."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/02/Bradbury/index.html| title=Sci-fi legend Ray Bradbury on God, 'monsters and angels'| publisher=CNN| date=August 2, 2010| access-date=October 14, 2015| first=John| last=Blake}}</ref>

Bradbury was a close friend of [[Charles Addams]], and Addams illustrated 1946's "Homecoming", the first of Bradbury's stories about the Elliotts, a family that resembled Addams's own [[Addams Family]], transplanted to rural Illinois. Addams and Bradbury planned a larger collaborative work that would tell the family's complete history, but it never materialized, and according to a 2001 interview, they went their separate ways.<ref>[http://www.indiebound.org/author-interviews/bradburyray Interview with Ray Bradbury] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203203807/http://www.indiebound.org/author-interviews/bradburyray |date=February 3, 2009 }} in ''IndieBound'', fall 2001.</ref> In October 2001, Bradbury published all the Family stories he had written in one book with a connecting narrative, ''[[From the Dust Returned]]'', featuring a wraparound Addams cover of the original "Homecoming" illustration.<ref>Bradbury, Ray, ''From The Dust Returned: A Novel''. William Morrow, 2001.</ref>

Another of Bradbury's close friends was the special-effects expert [[Ray Harryhausen]], who was [[best man]] at Bradbury's wedding.<ref>{{cite web |last=Whitaker |first=Sheila |title=Ray Harryhausen obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/07/ray-harryhausen-dies |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=May 7, 2013 |access-date=June 4, 2013 }}</ref> During a [[BAFTA]] 2010 awards tribute honoring Harryhausen's 90th birthday, Bradbury spoke about having first met him at Forrest J Ackerman's house when they were both 18. Their shared love for science fiction, ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'', and ''[[The Fountainhead (film)|The Fountainhead]]'' was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. These early influences inspired them to believe in themselves and to affirm their career choices. After their first meeting, they kept in touch at least once a month: their friendship lasted more than 70 years.<ref>{{cite web|last=BAFTA Online|title=Ray Bradbury pays Tribute to Ray Harryhausen|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv3KiAVUOhE&t=2m48s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/Wv3KiAVUOhE| archive-date=October 29, 2021|via=YouTube|access-date=July 12, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Bradbury told of the following encounter with [[Sergei Bondarchuk]], director of the 1966–1967 Soviet epic film ''[[War and Peace (film series)|War and Peace]]'', at a Hollywood award ceremony in Bondarchuk's honor:

{{Blockquote|They formed a long queue and as Bondarchuk was walking along it he recognized several people: "Oh Mr. Ford, I like your film." He recognized the director, Greta Garbo, and someone else. I was standing at the very end of the queue and silently watched this. Bondarchuk shouted to me; "Ray Bradbury, is that you?" He rushed up to me, embraced me, dragged me inside, grabbed a bottle of [[Stolichnaya]], sat down at his table where his closest friends were sitting. All the famous Hollywood directors in the queue were bewildered. They stared at me and asked each other "Who is this Bradbury?" And, swearing, they left, leaving me alone with Bondarchuk&nbsp;...<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rbth.ru/articles/2012/06/06/ray_bradbury_russians_have_an_unparalleled_capacity_for_love_15822.html|title=Ray Bradbury: "Russians have an unparalleled capacity for love"|website=rbth.ru|publisher=Russia Beyond The Headlines|access-date=September 15, 2012|date=2012-06-07|archive-date=August 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823181746/http://rbth.ru/articles/2012/06/06/ray_bradbury_russians_have_an_unparalleled_capacity_for_love_15822.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

Late in life, Bradbury retained his dedication and passion despite the "devastation of illnesses and deaths of many good friends". Among them was the death of ''[[Star Trek]]'' creator [[Gene Roddenberry]], an intimate friend for many years. They remained close for nearly 30 years, after Roddenberry asked him to write for ''Star Trek''; Bradbury declined, claiming that he "never had the ability to adapt other people's ideas into any sensible form".<ref name="playboy"/>

Bradbury suffered a stroke in 1999<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/sci-fi_great_ray_bradbury_suffers_stroke/38990|title=Sci-Fi Great Ray Bradbury Suffers Stroke|publisher=[[E!]]|date=November 12, 1999|access-date=June 6, 2012|first=Joal|last=Ryan }}</ref> that left him partially dependent on a wheelchair.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ray-bradbury-still-writing-at-81/|title=Ray Bradbury Still Writing At 81|first=Jim|last=Rogers|date=January 18, 2002|access-date=June 6, 2012|agency=Associated Press|publisher=CBS News }}</ref> He made regular appearances at science-fiction conventions until 2009, when he retired from the circuit. He continued to write, contributing an essay to the science-fiction issue of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' about his inspiration for writing; it was published a week before his death.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/06/04/120604fa_fact_bradbury|title=Take Me Home|first=Ray|last=Bradbury|date=June 4, 2012|access-date=June 6, 2012|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref>

[[File:Headstone of Ray Bradbury, May 2012.jpg|thumb|Bradbury's headstone in May 2012, a month before his death]]
Bradbury chose a burial place at [[Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]] in Los Angeles, with a headstone that reads "Author of Fahrenheit 451".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://testpattern.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2007/08/15/4356442-visiting-marilyn-monroes-grave-resting-places-of-the-rich-and-famous|title=Visiting Marilyn Monroe's grave: Resting places of the rich and famous|date=August 15, 2007|work=Test Pattern|publisher=MSNBC|access-date=April 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214061839/http://testpattern.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2007/08/15/4356442-visiting-marilyn-monroes-grave-resting-places-of-the-rich-and-famous|archive-date=February 14, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bguthriephotos.com/Graphlib/GraphData10.nsf/Images/2010_CA_PBWVMP_0640/$File/PBWVMP_100727_148.JPG|title=CA&nbsp;– Westwood&nbsp;– Pierce Bros. Westwood Village Memorial Park: Ray Bradbury|author=Guthrie, Bruce|work=Bruce Guthrie Photos|access-date=April 7, 2012|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043911/http://www.bguthriephotos.com/Graphlib/GraphData10.nsf/Images/2010_CA_PBWVMP_0640/$File/PBWVMP_100727_148.JPG|url-status=dead}}</ref> On February 6, 2015, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that the house Bradbury had lived and written in for 50 years, at 10265 Cheviot Drive in [[Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles]], California, had been demolished by the buyer, architect [[Thom Mayne]].<ref name="NYT-20150206">{{cite news |last=Nagourney |first=Adam |title=Classic or Ramshackle, Old Homes in Los Angeles Are Being Bulldozed Into History |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/us/classic-or-ramshackle-old-homes-in-los-angeles-are-being-bulldozed-into-history.html |date=February 6, 2015 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=February 6, 2015 }}</ref> Bradbury's home office was moved and recreated in the [[Ray Bradbury Center]] in Indianapolis.

===Politics===
Bradbury considered himself a political [[Independent politician|independent]].<ref name=":0" /> Raised a Democrat, he voted for the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] until 1968. In 1952, he took out an advertisement in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' as an open letter to [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]], stating: "Every attempt that you make to identify the Democratic Party as the party of [[Communism]], as the '[[Left-wing politics|left-wing]]' or 'subversive' party, I will attack with all my heart and soul."<ref name="National Review">{{cite news|last=Fund|first=John|title=Ray Bradbury, a Great Conservative|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/ray-bradbury-great-conservative-john-fund/|work=National Review|date=June 6, 2012}}</ref> However, [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s handling of the [[Vietnam War]] left Bradbury disenchanted, and from 1968 on he voted for the Republican Party in every presidential election with the exception of [[1976 United States presidential election|1976]], when he voted for [[Jimmy Carter]]. According to Bradbury's biographer [[Sam Weller (journalist)|Sam Weller]], Carter's inept handling of the economy "pushed [Bradbury] permanently away from the Democrats".<ref name=":0" />

Bradbury called [[Ronald Reagan]] "the greatest president" whereas he dismissed [[Bill Clinton]], calling him a "shithead".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Charles |date=June 8, 2012 |title=Ray Bradbury: Enemy of the State |url=https://reason.com/2012/06/08/ray-bradbury-enemy-of-the-state/ |access-date=June 23, 2022 |website=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In August 2001, shortly before the [[September 11 attacks]], he described [[George W. Bush]] as "wonderful" and stated that the American education system was a "monstrosity".<ref>{{cite news|last=Hibberd|first=James|title=Ray Bradbury is on fire!|url=https://www.salon.com/2001/08/29/bradbury_2/|work=Salon|date=August 29, 2001}}</ref> He later criticized [[Barack Obama]] for ending [[Constellation program|NASA's crewed space flight program]].<ref name=":1"/>

In 2010, he criticized [[big government]], saying that there was "too much government" in America, and "I don't believe in government. I hate politics. I'm against it. And I hope that sometimes this fall, we can destroy part of our government, and next year destroy even more of it. The [[Anarchy|less government]], the happier I will be".<ref name=":1" /> Bradbury was against [[affirmative action]], condemned what he called "all this political correctness that's rampant on campuses", and called for a ban of [[Racial quota|quotas in higher education]].<ref name="playboy" /><ref name=":1" /> He asserted that "education is purely an issue of learning—we can no longer afford to have it polluted by damn politics".<ref name="playboy" />

===Death===
Bradbury died in Los Angeles, California, on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91, after a lengthy illness.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/06/showbiz/ray-bradbury-obit/index.html| title=Sci-fi legend Ray Bradbury dies|publisher=CNN|date=June 6, 2012| access-date=June 6, 2012| first=Alan|last=Duke }}</ref> His personal library was willed to the [[Waukegan Public Library]], where he had many of his formative reading experiences.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130617/news/706179846/|date=June 17, 2013|work=Daily Herald|title=Ray Bradbury book collection going to Waukegan library|author=Russell Lissau}}</ref>

The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' credited him with the ability "to write lyrically and evocatively of lands an imagination away, worlds he anchored in the here and now with a sense of visual clarity and small-town familiarity".<ref name="latimes obit">{{cite news|title=Ray Bradbury dies at 91; author lifted fantasy to literary heights |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 6, 2012| access-date=June 6, 2012|first=Lynell|last=George|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-ray-bradbury-20120607-story.html}}</ref> His grandson, Danny Karapetian, said Bradbury's works had "influenced so many artists, writers, teachers, scientists, and it's always really touching and comforting to hear their stories".<ref name="BBC dies">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18345350|title=Author Ray Bradbury dies, aged 91 |work=BBC News|date=June 6, 2012|access-date=June 6, 2012 }}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' noted several modern-day technologies that Bradbury had envisioned much earlier, such as the idea of [[automatic teller machine|banking ATMs]] and [[headphones|earbuds and Bluetooth headsets]] in ''Fahrenheit 451'', and the concepts of [[artificial intelligence]] in ''[[I Sing the Body Electric (Bradbury)|I Sing the Body Electric]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/dreams-of-ray-bradbury-ten-predictions-that-came-true/2012/06/06/gJQAqbs9IV_story.html|title=Dreams of Ray Bradbury: 10 predictions that came true|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=June 6, 2012|access-date=June 6, 2012|first=Hayley|last=Tsukayama }}</ref>

===Legacy===
On June 6, 2012, in an official public statement from the [[White House Press Office]], President [[Barack Obama]] said:

{{cquote|For many Americans, the news of Ray Bradbury's death immediately brought to mind images from his work, imprinted in our minds, often from a young age. His gift for storytelling reshaped our culture and expanded our world. But Ray also understood that our imaginations could be used as a tool for better understanding, a vehicle for change, and an expression of our most cherished values. There is no doubt that Ray will continue to inspire many more generations with his writing, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/06/06/statement-president-passing-ray-bradbury|title=Statement by the President on the Passing of Ray Bradbury|access-date=June 8, 2012|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|publisher=[[White House]]|date=2012-06-06}}</ref>
}}

Several authors and filmmakers paid tribute to Bradbury, noting the influence of his works on their own.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18346773|title=Tributes paid to sci-fi author Ray Bradbury |work=BBC News|date=June 6, 2012|access-date=June 6, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="ap quotes">{{cite news| url=http://archive.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2012/06/06/writers_filmmakers_react_to_ray_bradburys_death/| title=Writers, filmmakers react to Ray Bradbury's death|work=[[Boston Globe]]|agency=Associated Press|date=June 6, 2012| access-date=June 6, 2012}}</ref> [[Steven Spielberg]] said that Bradbury was "my muse for the better part of my sci-fi career&nbsp;... On the world of science fiction and fantasy and imagination he is immortal."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/06/ray-bradbury-died-obituary-books-movies.html|title=Ray Bradbury was a huge influence on the film world too|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 6, 2012|access-date=June 6, 2012|first=Steven|last=Zeitchik}}</ref> [[Neil Gaiman]] said that "the landscape of the world we live in would have been diminished if we had not had him in our world".<ref name="ap quotes"/> [[Joanne Harris]] called him "a bright, burning spark."<ref>{{cite news| last=Harris| first=Joanne| date=June 6, 2012| title=Ray Bradbury Was a Bright, Burning Spark| work=BBC News| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18345685}}</ref> [[Stephen King]] released a statement on his website saying:

{{cquote|Ray Bradbury wrote three great novels and three hundred great stories. One of the latter was called "[[A Sound of Thunder]]". The sound I hear today is the thunder of a giant's footsteps fading away. But the novels and stories remain, in all their resonance and strange beauty.<ref>[http://www.stephenking.com/index.html?i=312 Stephen Comments on the Death of Ray Bradbury]. Stephen King. Retrieved June 7, 2012. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630003904/http://www.stephenking.com/index.html |date=June 30, 2012 }}</ref>
}}

[[Margaret Atwood]] said she was "warped early by Ray Bradbury." She wrote that Bradbury was:

{{cquote|So much a part of my own early reading, especially the delicious, clandestine reading done avidly in lieu of homework, and the compulsive reading done at night with a flashlight when I ought to have been sleeping. Stories read with such enthusiasm at such a young age are not so much read as inhaled. They sink all the way in and all the way down, and they stay with you... His imagination had a dark side, and he used that dark twin and its nightmares in his work; but to the waking world he presented a combination of eager, wonder-filled boy and kindly uncle, and that was just as real. In an age of writing classes, he was self-taught; in an age of spin, his was an authentic voice, straight from the heartland; in an age of groomed images, he was a natural.<ref>{{cite news| last=Atwood| first=Margaret| date=June 8, 2012| title=Margaret Atwood on Ray Bradbury: the tale-teller who tapped into the gothic core of America| work=The Guardian| url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jun/08/margaret-atwood-on-ray-bradbury}}</ref>
}}

The [[Ray Bradbury Center]] was established in 2007 as the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies and received many of Bradbury's papers and artifacts following his death. It continues the work of documenting, preserving, and providing public access to Bradbury's material legacy.

==Works==
{{Main|Ray Bradbury bibliography|Ray Bradbury short fiction bibliography}}

Bradbury authored "more than 27 novels and story collections", which included many of his 600 short stories.<ref name="latimes obit"/> More than eight million copies of his works, published in over 36 languages, have been sold around the world.<ref name="NYT-20120606"/>
[[File:PlanetStoriesNov1953.png|thumb|upright|Bradbury's "The Golden Apples of the Sun" was published in the November 1953 issue of ''[[Planet Stories]]''.]]

===First novel===
In 1949, Bradbury and his wife were expecting their first child. He took a Greyhound bus to New York and checked into a room at the YMCA for 50 cents a night. He took his short stories to a dozen publishers, but no one wanted them. Just before getting ready to go home, Bradbury had dinner with an editor at Doubleday. When Bradbury recounted that everyone wanted a novel and he did not have one, the editor, coincidentally named Walter Bradbury, asked if the short stories might be tied together into a book-length collection. The title was the editor's idea; he suggested: "You could call it ''The Martian Chronicles''." Bradbury liked the idea and recalled making notes in 1944 to do a book set on Mars. That evening, he stayed up all night at the YMCA and typed out an outline. He took it to the Doubleday editor the next morning, who read it and wrote Bradbury a check for $750. When Bradbury returned to Los Angeles, he connected all the short stories that became ''The Martian Chronicles''.<ref name="Paris Review"/>

===Intended first novel===
What was later issued as a collection of stories and vignettes, ''Summer Morning, Summer Night'', started out to be Bradbury's first true novel. The core of the work was Bradbury's witnessing of the American small-town life in the American heartland.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

In the winter of 1955–56, after a consultation with his Doubleday editor, Bradbury deferred publication of a novel based on Green Town, the pseudonym for his hometown. Instead, he extracted 17 stories and, with three other Green Town tales, bridged them into his 1957 book ''Dandelion Wine''. Later, in 2006, Bradbury published the original novel remaining after the extraction, and retitled it ''Farewell Summer''. These two titles show what stories and episodes Bradbury decided to retain as he created the two books out of one.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

The most significant of the remaining unpublished stories, scenes, and fragments were published under the originally intended name for the novel, ''Summer Morning, Summer Night'', in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dandelion Wine 50th Anniversary Ed |url=https://www.pspublishing.co.uk/index.asp?function=ERROR404&type=PRODUCT |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609001741/http://www.pspublishing.co.uk/dandelion-wine-50th-anniversary-ed-signed-2-vol-sc-by-ray-bradbury--stephen-king-out-of-print-1022-p.asp |archive-date=June 9, 2013 |website=PS Publishing}}</ref>

==Adaptations to other media==
{{more citations needed section|date=June 2018}}
From 1950 to 1954, 31 of Bradbury's stories were adapted by [[Al Feldstein]] for EC Comics (seven of them uncredited in six stories, including "[[Kaleidoscope (short story)|Kaleidoscope]]" and "Rocket Man" being combined as "Home To Stay"—for which Bradbury was retroactively paid—and EC's first version of "The Handler" under the title "A Strange Undertaking") and 16 of these were collected in the paperbacks, ''[[The Autumn People]]'' (1965) and ''[[Tomorrow Midnight]]'' (1966), both published by [[Ballantine Books]] with cover illustrations by [[Frank Frazetta]].
Also in the early 1950s, adaptations of Bradbury's stories were televised in several anthology shows, including ''[[Tales of Tomorrow]]'', ''[[Lights Out (radio show)|Lights Out]]'', ''Out There'', ''[[Suspense (radio program)|Suspense]]'', ''[[CBS Television Workshop]]'', ''[[Fireside Theater|The Jane Wyman Show]]'', ''[[Star Tonight]]'', ''Windows'' and ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''. "The Merry-Go-Round", a half-hour film adaptation of Bradbury's "The Black Ferris", praised by ''Variety'', was shown on ''Starlight Summer Theater'' in 1954 and NBC's ''[[Sneak Preview (TV series)|Sneak Preview]]'' in 1956. During that same period, several stories were adapted for radio drama, notably on the science fiction anthologies ''[[Dimension X (radio program)|Dimension X]]'' and its successor ''[[X Minus One]]''.

[[File:Rhedosaurus & the lighthouse.png|thumb|Scene from the 1953 film ''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'', based on Bradbury's 1951 short story "[[The Fog Horn]]"]]

Producer [[William Alland]] first brought Bradbury to movie theaters in 1953 with ''[[It Came from Outer Space]]'', a [[Harry Essex]] screenplay developed from Bradbury's screen treatment "Atomic Monster". Three weeks later came the release of Eugène Lourié's ''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'' (1953), which featured one scene based on Bradbury's "[[The Fog Horn]]", about a sea monster mistaking the sound of a fog horn for the mating cry of a female. Bradbury's close friend Ray Harryhausen produced the stop-motion animation of the creature. Bradbury later returned the favor by writing a short story "Tyrannosaurus Rex" about a stop-motion animator who strongly resembled Harryhausen. Over the next 50 years, more than 35 features, shorts, and TV movies were based on Bradbury's stories or screenplays. Bradbury was hired in 1953 by director [[John Huston]] to work on the screenplay for his film version of [[Herman Melville|Melville]]'s ''[[Moby Dick (1956 film)|Moby Dick]]'' (1956), which stars [[Gregory Peck]] as Captain Ahab, [[Richard Basehart]] as Ishmael, and [[Orson Welles]] as Father Mapple. A significant result of the film was Bradbury's book ''[[Green Shadows, White Whale]]'', a semifictionalized account of the making of the film, including Bradbury's dealings with Huston and his time in Ireland, where exterior scenes that were set in [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]], were filmed.

Bradbury's short story "I Sing the Body Electric" (from the book of the same name) was adapted for the [[I Sing the Body Electric (The Twilight Zone)|100th episode of ''The Twilight Zone'']]. The episode was first aired on May 18, 1962.

Bradbury and director Charles Rome Smith co-founded the Pandemonium Theatre Company in 1964.  Its first production was ''The World of Ray Bradbury'', consisting of one-act adaptations of "[[The Pedestrian]]", "The Veldt", and "To the Chicago Abyss".  It ran for four months at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles (October 1964 – February 1965); an off-Broadway production was presented in October 1965.  Another Pandemonium Theatre Company production was mounted at the Coronet Theatre in 1965, again presenting adaptations of three Bradbury short stories: "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit", "The Day It Rained Forever", and "Device Out of Time". (The last was adapted from his 1957 novel ''Dandelion Wine''). The original cast for this production featured [[Booth Coleman]], [[Joby Baker]], Fredric Villani, Arnold Lessing, Eddie Sallia, [[Keith Taylor (actor)|Keith Taylor]], [[Richard Bull (actor)|Richard Bull]], Gene Otis Shane, Henry T. Delgado, [[F. Murray Abraham]], Anne Loos, and [[Len Lesser]].  The director, again, was Charles Rome Smith.

[[Oskar Werner]] and [[Julie Christie]] starred in ''[[Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film)|Fahrenheit 451]]'' (1966), an adaptation of Bradbury's novel directed by [[François Truffaut]].

In 1966, Bradbury helped [[Lynn Garrison]] create ''AVIAN'', a specialist aviation magazine. For the first issue, Bradbury wrote a poem "Planes That Land on Grass".

In 1969, ''[[The Illustrated Man]]'' was brought to the big screen, starring [[Rod Steiger]], [[Claire Bloom]], and [[Robert Drivas]]. Containing the prologue and three short stories from the book, the film received mediocre reviews. The same year, Bradbury approached composer [[Jerry Goldsmith]], who had worked with Bradbury in dramatic radio of the 1950s and later scored the [[The Illustrated Man (film)|film version]], to compose a [[cantata]] ''[[Christus Apollo]]'' based on Bradbury's text.<ref>{{cite AV media notes |last=Goldsmith |first=Jerry |year=2002 |title=Jerry Goldsmith: Christus Apollo |type=CD |publisher=[[Telarc International Corporation|Telarc]]}}</ref> The work premiered in late 1969, with the [[California Chamber Symphony]] performing with narrator [[Charlton Heston]] at [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]].

''Something Wicked This Way Comes'' was adapted for a low-budget 1972 British film, produced by the Forest Hill Film Unit & Drama Troupe and directed by Colin Finbow.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://letterboxd.com/film/something-wicked-this-way-comes-1972/ | title=Something Wicked This Way Comes (1972) }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3krOs8nwnsE | title=Something Wicked This Way Comes 1972 | via=YouTube }}</ref>

[[File:Ray Bradbury at Caltech 12 November 1971.ogv|right|thumb|Ray Bradbury takes part in a symposium at [[California Institute of Technology|Caltech]] with [[Arthur C. Clarke]], journalist [[Walter S. Sullivan|Walter Sullivan]], and scientists [[Carl Sagan]] and [[Bruce C. Murray|Bruce Murray]]. In this excerpt, Bradbury reads his poem 'If Only We Had Taller Been' (poem begins at 2:20, full text<ref name="lendennie">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4rS2bmh1KmEC&pg=PA57 |chapter=If Only We Had Taller Been |title=Daughter and Other Poems |editor=Jessie Lendennie |year=2006 |publisher=Salmon Publishing |pages=57–58|isbn=9781903392102 }}</ref>). Video released by NASA in honor of the naming of [[Bradbury Landing]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite video| url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=1086| title=In Memoriam: Ray Bradbury 1920–2012| date=June 6, 2012| access-date=June 7, 2012| publisher=[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]]}}</ref>]] In 1972, ''The Screaming Woman'' was adapted as an ABC Movie-of-the-Week starring [[Olivia de Havilland]].

''[[The Martian Chronicles (TV miniseries)|The Martian Chronicles]]'' became a three-part TV [[miniseries]] starring [[Rock Hudson]], which was first broadcast by [[NBC]] in 1980. Bradbury found the miniseries "just boring".<ref>{{Cite book|first=Sam|last=Weller|title=The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury|location=New York|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2005|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bradburychronicl00well/page/301 301–302]|isbn=978-0-06-054581-9|url=https://archive.org/details/bradburychronicl00well/page/301}}</ref>

The 1982 television movie ''[[The Electric Grandmother]]'' was based on Bradbury's short story "I Sing the Body Electric".

The 1983 horror film ''[[Something Wicked This Way Comes (film)|Something Wicked This Way Comes]]'', starring [[Jason Robards]] and [[Jonathan Pryce]], is based on the Bradbury novel of the same name.

In 1984, Michael McDonough of Brigham Young University produced ''[[Bradbury 13]]'', a series of 13 audio adaptations of famous stories from Bradbury, in conjunction with National Public Radio. The full-cast dramatizations featured adaptations of "The Ravine", "Night Call, Collect", "The Veldt", "There Was an Old Woman", "Kaleidoscope", "[[Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed]]", "The Screaming Woman", "A Sound of Thunder", "The Man", "The Wind", "The Fox and the Forest", "[[Here There Be Tygers]]", and "The Happiness Machine". Voiceover actor [[Paul Frees]] provided narration, while Bradbury was responsible for the opening voiceover; Greg Hansen and Roger Hoffman scored the episodes. The series won a [[Peabody Award]] and two Gold Cindy awards and was released on CD on May 1, 2010. The series began airing on [[BBC Radio 4 Extra]] on June 12, 2011.
Also in 1984, the short story [[Frost and Fire (short story)|Frost and Fire]] was adapted into a 30-minutes short called ''Quest'', directed by [[Saul Bass|Saul]] and [[Elaine Bass]].<ref>[https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/watch-saul-bass-far-out-30-minute-sci-fi-short-film-quest-269300/ Watch: Saul Bass’ Far Out 30-Minute Sci-Fi Short Film ‘Quest’]</ref>

From 1985 to 1992, Bradbury hosted a [[broadcast syndication|syndicated]] anthology television series, ''The Ray Bradbury Theater'', for which he adapted 65 of his stories. Each episode began with a shot of Bradbury in his office, gazing over mementoes of his life, which he states (in narrative) are used to spark ideas for stories. After the first two seasons, Bradbury also provided additional voiceover narration specific to the featured story.

Deeply respected in the [[USSR]], Bradbury's fiction has been adapted into six episodes of the Soviet science-fiction TV series ''This Fantastic World'' which adapted the stories film version of "Forever and the Earth", "I Sing The Body Electric", "The Smile", ''Fahrenheit 451'', "A Piece of Wood", and "To the Chicago Abyss".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gtrf.ru/|title=State fund of Television and Radio Programs|language=ru}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web | url=https://dzen.ru/a/YqX5L49PGk46L6F6 | title="Мона Лиза" - главный хит Виктора Чайки. История песни и любопытный секрет шедеврального клипа! }}</ref> In 1984 a cartoon adaptation of "[[There Will Come Soft Rains (short story)|There Will Come Soft Rains]]" («Будет ласковый дождь») came out by Uzbek director Nazim Tulyakhodzhayev.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kinomaniac.ru/movie.php?id=1366|script-title=ru:Будет ласковый дождь|language=ru|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909130617/http://www.kinomaniac.ru/movie.php?id=1366|archive-date=September 9, 2012 |title=Check belong any von this optimal business at continue for shaping ampere fantastic website usage business }}</ref> He made a film adaptation of [[The Veldt (film)|"The Veldt"]] in 1987.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:"Вельд", Киностудия "Узбекфильм", 1987 |url=http://raybradbury.ru/video-stage/video/the_veldt/ |language=ru}}</ref> In 1985, film adaptation of "I Sing The Body Electric" («Электронная бабушка») came out by Lithuanian director [[Algimantas Puipa]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lfc.lt/lt/Page=AMovieList&ID=351&GenreID=454 | title=Elektroninė senelė }}</ref> In 1989, a cartoon adaptation of "Here There Be Tygers" («Здесь могут водиться тигры») by director Vladimir Samsonov came out.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ru:Мультипликационные фильмы|url=http://mebu.ru/stf/catalog.php?fl=1&letter=%c7|website=Творческое объединение «Экран»|access-date=August 14, 2015|language=ru|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201212324/http://mebu.ru/stf/catalog.php?fl=1|archive-date=February 1, 2016}}</ref> In 1993, "The Smile" has been adapted as [[Viktor Chaika]]'s music video "Mona Lisa" which included footage from Soviet TV series ''This Fantastic World''.<ref name=":2" />

Bradbury wrote and narrated the 1993 animated television version of ''[[The Halloween Tree (1993 TV film)|The Halloween Tree]]'', based on [[The Halloween Tree|his 1972 novel]].

The 1998 film ''[[The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit]]'', released by [[Touchstone Pictures]], was written by Bradbury. It was based on his story "The Magic White Suit" originally published in ''The Saturday Evening Post'' in 1957. The story had also previously been adapted as a play, a musical, and a 1958 television version.

In 2002, Bradbury's own Pandemonium Theatre Company production of ''Fahrenheit 451'' at Burbank's Falcon Theatre combined live acting with projected digital animation by the Pixel Pups.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sromagazine.biz/mag/one_hot_stage/index.html|title=fahrenheit 451 and ray bradbury and flames and fire and falcon theatre and pixel pups and fahrenheit 451|date=August 27, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050827043730/http://sromagazine.biz/mag/one_hot_stage/index.html|archive-date=August 27, 2005}}</ref> In 1984, Telarium released a game for [[Commodore 64]] based on ''Fahrenheit 451''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lemon64.com/|title=Lemon64.com - all about Commodore 64|website=Lemon64}}</ref>

In 2005, the film ''[[A Sound of Thunder (film)|A Sound of Thunder]]'' was released, loosely based upon the short story of the same name. The film ''[[The Butterfly Effect]]'' revolves around the same theory as ''A Sound of Thunder'' and contains many references to its inspiration. Short film adaptations of ''A Piece of Wood'' and ''[[The Small Assassin (short story)|The Small Assassin]]'' were released in 2005 and 2007, respectively.

In 2005, it was reported that Bradbury was upset with filmmaker [[Michael Moore]] for using the title ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'', which is an allusion to Bradbury's ''Fahrenheit 451'', for his documentary about the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|George W. Bush administration]]. Bradbury expressed displeasure with Moore's use of the title, but stated that his resentment was not politically motivated, though Bradbury was [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative-leaning]] politically.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/301992/ray-bradbury-great-conservative-john-fund|title=Ray Bradbury, a Great Conservative|work=National Review|date=June 6, 2012|author=Fund, John|access-date=June 6, 2012}}</ref> Bradbury asserted that he did not want any of the money made by the movie, nor did he believe that he deserved it. He pressured Moore to change the name, but to no avail. Moore called Bradbury two weeks before the film's release to apologize, saying that the film's marketing had been set in motion a long time ago and it was too late to change the title.<ref>{{Cite book|first=Sam|last=Weller|title=The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury|location=New York|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2005|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bradburychronicl00well/page/330 330–331]|isbn=978-0-06-054581-9|url=https://archive.org/details/bradburychronicl00well/page/330}}</ref>

In 2008, the film ''[[Ray Bradbury's Chrysalis]]'' was produced by Roger Lay Jr. for Urban Archipelago Films, based upon the short story of the same name. The film won the best feature award at the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival in Phoenix. The film has international distribution by Arsenal Pictures and domestic distribution by Lightning Entertainment.

In 2010, ''The Martian Chronicles'' was adapted for radio by ''Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air''.

Bradbury's works and approach to writing are documented in [[Terry Sanders]]'s film ''Ray Bradbury: Story of a Writer'' (1963).

Bradbury's poem "Groon" was voiced as a tribute in 2012.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=http://vimeo.com/49873749|title="Groon" (a poem) by Ray Bradbury|via=Vimeo}}</ref>

Bradbury's story "Pendulum" was adapted into the second episode of the science fiction podcast ''DUST'' (2019).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Listen – WatchDust.com |url=https://watchdust.com/listen/ |access-date=2024-05-06 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
[[File:GeorgeRayLaura.jpg|thumb|Bradbury receiving the [[National Medal of Arts]] in 2004 with President [[George W. Bush]] and First Lady [[Laura Bush]]]]

The [[Ray Bradbury Award]] for excellency in screenwriting was occasionally presented by the [[Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America]] – presented to six people on four occasions from 1992 to 2009.<ref>[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Sfwa.html "Other SFWA Awards"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016210647/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Sfwa.html |date=October 16, 2011 }}. ''The Locus Index to SF Awards: About the Awards''. Locus Publications. Retrieved April 2, 2013.</ref> Beginning 2010, the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation is presented annually according to Nebula Awards rules and procedures, although it is not a Nebula Award.<ref>[http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/other-useful-links/faq/ "Frequently Asked Questions"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705212101/http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/other-useful-links/faq/ |date=July 5, 2011 }}. SFWA. Retrieved April 2, 2013. Quote: "Effective January 2009, here are the new rules for the Nebula Awards".</ref> The revamped Bradbury Award replaced the [[Nebula Award for Best Script]].
* In 1971, an impact crater on the Moon was named [[Dandelion (crater)|Dandelion]] by the [[Apollo 15]] astronauts, in honor of Bradbury's 1957 novel ''Dandelion Wine''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/ray-bradbury-q7c3qm7wz57 |title=Ray Bradbury: Jovial, much-lauded writer of Fahrenheit 451 whose economical prose and insatiable curiosity won many converts to science fiction|date= June 7, 2012|work= [[The Times]]}}</ref>
* In 1979, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters (Litt.D.) degree from [[Whittier College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whittier.edu/alumni/poetnation/honorary|title=Honorary Degrees {{!}} Whittier College|website=www.whittier.edu|access-date=January 28, 2020}}</ref>
* In 1984, he received the [[Prometheus Award]] for ''Fahrenheit 451''.
* In 1986, Ray Bradbury was a Guest of Honor at the 44th World Science Fiction Convention, which was held in Atlanta, Ga., from August 28 to September 1.<ref>44th World Science Fiction Convention program of events, 1986.</ref>
* Ray Bradbury Park was dedicated in Waukegan, Illinois, in 1990. He was present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The park contains locations described in ''Dandelion Wine'', most notably the "113 steps". In 2009, a panel designed by artist Michael Pavelich was added to the park detailing the history of Ray Bradbury and Ray Bradbury Park.<ref>{{cite news|date=June 7, 2012|access-date=July 15, 2012|first=John|last= Keilman|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/06/07/waukegans-landscape-values-never-left-bradbury/|work=Chicago Tribune|title=Waukegan's landscape, values never left Bradbury}}</ref>
* An [[asteroid]] discovered in 1992 was named "9766 Bradbury"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=9766|title=Small-Body Database Lookup|website=ssd.jpl.nasa.gov}}</ref> in his honor.
* In 1994, he received the [[Helmerich Award|Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award]], presented annually by the [[Tulsa City-County Library|Tulsa Library Trust]].
* In 1994, he won an [[Daytime Emmy Award|Emmy Award]] for the screenplay ''[[The Halloween Tree (film)|The Halloween Tree]]''.
* In 2000, he was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation.<ref>[http://www.nationalbook.org/nbaacceptspeech_rbradbury.html Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Award] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912071702/http://www.nationalbook.org/nbaacceptspeech_rbradbury.html |date=September 12, 2018 }} with his acceptance speech.</ref>
* For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Bradbury was given a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] on April 1, 2002.<ref>[http://www.raybradbury.com/awards_Hollywood.html "Ray Bradbury Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414014933/http://www.raybradbury.com/awards_Hollywood.html |date=April 14, 2016 }}. Press release, office of Mayor Hahn, April 1, 2002. Retrieved April 2, 2013.</ref>
* In 2003, he received an honorary doctorate from [[Woodbury University]], where he presented the Ray Bradbury Creativity Award each year until his death.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Woodbury university |url=http://woodbury.edu/news/view/woodbury-mourns-the-passing-of-ray-bradbury |date=June 6, 2012 |access-date=July 15, 2012 |title=Woodbury mourns the passing of Ray Bradbury |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618171925/http://woodbury.edu/news/view/woodbury-mourns-the-passing-of-ray-bradbury |archive-date=June 18, 2012 }}</ref>
* On November 17, 2004, Bradbury received the [[National Medal of Arts]], presented by President [[George W. Bush]] and [[Laura Bush]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 15, 2012 |publisher=National Endowment for the arts |url=http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html |title=Lifetime honors: National medal of the arts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302211928/http://www.nea.gov/honors/Medals/medalists_year.html |archive-date=March 2, 2010 }}</ref>
* Retro Hugo Award: He was awarded a ''Retro Hugo Award'' for Best Novel for ''Fahrenheit 451'' in 2004.
* Bradbury received a [[World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement]] at the 1977 World Fantasy Convention and was named [[Gandalf Grand Master Award|Gandalf Grand Master]] of Fantasy at the 1980 World Science Fiction Convention.<ref name=SFAwards/> In 1989 the [[Horror Writers Association]] gave him the fourth or fifth [[Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement]] in [[horror fiction]]<ref name=HWA/> and the [[Science Fiction Writers of America]] made him its 10th [[SFWA Grand Master]].<ref name=SFWA/><!--both announced and sometimes dated 1988--> He won a [[First Fandom]] Hall of Fame Award in 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstfandom.org/ffhofaward.htm |access-date=July 15, 2012 |title=First Fandom: First Fandom hall of fame award |publisher=First Fandom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723162821/http://www.firstfandom.org/ffhofaward.htm |archive-date=July 23, 2012 }}</ref> was given the [[Los Angeles Times Book Prize]] Robert Kirsch Award winner in 1997, the [[EMP Museum#Science Fiction Hall of Fame|Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame]] inducted him in 1999, its fourth class of two deceased and two living writers.<ref name=sfhof-old/> In 2000, he received the [[National Book Award]] Medal for Distinguished Contribution.
* In 2005, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws (''[[Honorary degree|honoris causa]]'') by the [[National University of Ireland, Galway]], at a conferring ceremony in Los Angeles.
* On April 14, 2007, Bradbury received the [[Sir Arthur Clarke Award]]'s Special Award, given by Clarke to a recipient of his choice.
* On April 16, 2007, Bradbury received a [[Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards|special citation by the Pulitzer Prize jury]] "for his distinguished, prolific, and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ray Bradbury |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/ray-bradbury |access-date=December 29, 2022|website=The Pulitzer Prizes |language=en}}</ref>
* In 2007, Bradbury was made a Commandeur (Commander) of the [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]] (Order of the Arts and Letters) by the French government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usmayors.org/resolutions/80th_Conference/misc03.asp|title=The US conference of mayors, 80th annual meeting: Honoring the life of Ray Bradbury|publisher=The US conference of mayors|date=June 13–16, 2012|access-date=July 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202223235/http://www.usmayors.org/resolutions/80th_conference/misc03.asp|archive-date=February 2, 2013}}</ref>
* In 2008, he was named [[Science Fiction Poetry Association|SFPA]] Grandmaster.<ref name="SFPA">{{cite web|url=http://sfpoetry.com/gm/08grandmaster.html|title=2008 SFPA Grandmaster|last=Wilson|first=Stephen M.|year=2008|work=The Science Fiction Poetry Association|publisher=SFPA|access-date=August 3, 2008}}</ref>
* On May 17, 2008, Bradbury received the inaugural J. Lloyd Eaton Lifetime Achievement Award in Science Fiction, presented by the UCR Libraries at the 2008 [[Eaton Award|Eaton Science Fiction Conference]], "Chronicling Mars".<ref>[http://eatonconference.ucr.edu/awards.html "The Eaton Awards"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503151902/http://eatonconference.ucr.edu/awards.html |date=May 3, 2013 }}. Eaton Science Fiction Conference. [[University of California, Riverside]] (''ucr.edu''). Retrieved April 2, 2013.</ref>
* On November 19, 2008, Bradbury was presented with the Illinois Literary Heritage Award by the Illinois Center for the Book.
* In 2009, Bradbury was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by [[Columbia College Chicago]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.colum.edu/archives/honorarydegrees.php |title=College history: Honorary degree recipients |year=2011 |access-date=July 15, 2012 |publisher=Columbia University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023030115/http://www.lib.colum.edu/archives/honorarydegrees.php |archive-date=October 23, 2010 }}</ref>
* In 2010, [[Spike TV]] [[2010 Scream Awards|Scream Awards]] [[San Diego Comic-Con International|Comic-Con]] Icon Award went to Bradbury
* In 2012, the [[NASA]] [[Curiosity rover|''Curiosity'' rover]] landing site ({{coord|4.5895|S|137.4417|E|globe:Mars}})<ref name="MSNBC-20120806">{{cite web|title=Video from rover looks down on Mars during landing|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna48540619|date=August 6, 2012|publisher=[[NBC News]]|access-date=October 7, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="S&T-20120807">{{cite web|last=Young |first=Monica |title=Watch Curiosity Descend onto Mars |work=Sky and Telescope |url=http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/home/165273796.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209035852/http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/home/165273796.html |archive-date=December 9, 2012 |date=August 7, 2012 |publisher=[[SkyandTelescope.com]] |access-date=October 7, 2012 }}</ref> on the [[Mars|planet Mars]] was named "[[Bradbury Landing]]".<ref name="NASA-20120822">{{cite web|last1=Brown|first1=Dwayne|last2=Cole|first2=Steve|last3=Webster|first3=Guy|last4=Agle|first4=D.C.|title=NASA Mars Rover Begins Driving at Bradbury Landing|url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/aug/HQ_12-292_Mars_Bradbury_Landing.html|date=August 22, 2012|publisher=[[NASA]]|access-date=August 22, 2012|archive-date=November 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115041146/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/aug/HQ_12-292_Mars_Bradbury_Landing.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet|user=MarsCuriosity|number=238343711967301633|title=In tribute, I dedicate my landing spot on Mars to you, Ray Bradbury. Greetings from Bradbury Landing! [pic]http://twitpic.com/amjkm6|author=Curiosity Rover|date=August 22, 2012|access-date=January 2, 2019}}</ref>
* On December 6, 2012, the Los Angeles street corner at 5th and Flower Streets was named "Ray Bradbury Square" in his honor.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pool |first=Bob |date=December 6, 2012 |title=Intersection near L.A. library named for Ray Bradbury |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2012-dec-06-la-me-bradbury-square-20121207-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=December 29, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* On February 24, 2013, Bradbury was honored at the [[85th Academy Awards]] during that event's "In Memoriam" segment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Oscars 'In Memoriam' 2013: Full list|url=http://news.msn.com/obits/oscars-in-memoriam-2013|publisher=MSN|access-date=February 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118075514/http://news.msn.com/obits/oscars-in-memoriam-2013|archive-date=January 18, 2014}}</ref>
* In 2020, the Library of America published a collection of his early works, and his works are consistently included in curricula in schools worldwide.
* In 2025, the instrumental concept album ''The Ray Bradbury Chronicles''<ref>{{Cite web |last=The Electricity Club |date=2025-02-03 |title=Levente - The Ray Bradbury Chronicles |url=https://www.electricityclub.co.uk/levente-the-ray-bradbury-chronicles/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK |language=en-GB}}</ref> was based on ten classic stories and novels by Ray Bradbury, each track conveying musically the story & mood of the work it was inspired by.

==Documentaries==
* ''[[The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal]]'' (1985), produced and directed by [[Arnold Leibovit]], Bradbury appeared in the documentary.<!--<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089127/|title=The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal|date=December 1, 2019|publisher=IMDb|access-date=December 1, 2019}}</ref> -->{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
*<!--<ref name="youtube=R1Q0k1k43-Y"> -->{{cite web |last1=Bradbury |first1=Ray |author1-link=Ray Bradbury |title=Ray Bradbury speaking at UCLA |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Q0k1k43-Y |via=YouTube |publisher=[[University of California, Los Angeles]] Communications Studies Department <!-- |access-date=24 April 2023 --> |language=en |date=1968-01-17}}
* [https://digital-collections.csun.edu/digital/collection/achievement/id/11/rec/12 Interview with Ray Bradbury (1979) at California State University, Northridge]

== Citations ==
{{Reflist |25em |refs=
<ref name=isfdb>
{{ISFDB name |194}} (ISFDB). Retrieved April 22, 2013.</ref>

<!-- some awards refs -->
<ref name=SFAwards>
[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit16.html#571 "Bradbury, Ray"]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016200835/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit16.html |date=October 16, 2012 }}. ''The Locus Index to SF Awards: Index to Literary Nominees''. [[Locus Publications]]. Retrieved March 22, 2013.</ref>
<ref name=SFWA>
[http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/events-program/grandmaster/ "Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701114233/http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/events-program/grandmaster/ |date=July 1, 2011 }}. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Retrieved April 2, 2013.</ref>
<ref name=sfhof-old>
[http://www.midamericon.org/halloffame/ "Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521070009/http://www.midamericon.org/halloffame/ |date=May 21, 2013 }}. Mid American Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions, Inc. Retrieved March 22, 2013. This was the official website of the hall of fame to 2004.</ref>
<ref name=HWA>
[http://www.horror.org/laawd.htm "Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509115710/http://www.horror.org/laawd.htm |date=May 9, 2013 }}. Horror Writers Association ('''HWA'''). Retrieved April 6, 2013.</ref>
}}

== General and cited sources ==
* {{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=James Arthur |year=2013 |title=The Illustrated Ray Bradbury |publisher=Wildside Press |isbn=978-1-4794-0007-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Albright |first=Donn |year=1990 |title=Bradbury Bits & Pieces: The Ray Bradbury Bibliography, 1974–88 |publisher=Starmont House |isbn=978-1-55742-151-7}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Eller |first1=Jonathan R. |last2=Touponce |first2=William F. |year=2004 |title=Ray Bradbury: The Life of Fiction|url=https://archive.org/details/raybradburylifeo00elle |publisher=Kent State University Press |isbn=978-0-87338-779-8}}
* {{Cite book |last=Eller |first=Jonathan R. |year=2011 |title=Becoming Ray Bradbury |location=Urbana, IL |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-03629-3}}
* {{Cite book |last=Nolan |first=William F. |year=1975 |title=The Ray Bradbury Companion: A Life and Career History, Photolog, and Comprehensive Checklist of Writings |publisher=Gale Research |isbn=978-0-8103-0930-2}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Paradowski |first1=Robert J. |last2=Rhynes |first2=Martha E. |year=2001 |title=Ray Bradbury |publisher=Salem Press}}
* {{Cite book |last=Reid |first=Robin Anne |year=2000 |title=Ray Bradbury: A Critical Companion |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-30901-4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Tuck |first=Donald H. |author-link=Donald H. Tuck  |year=1974|title=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy |location=Chicago |publisher= Advent |pages=61–63 |isbn=978-0-911682-20-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Weist |first=Jerry |year=2002 |title=Bradbury, an Illustrated Life: A Journey to Far Metaphor |publisher=William Morrow and Company |isbn=978-0-06-001182-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Weller |first=Sam |author-link=Sam Weller (journalist) |year=2005 |title=The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury |url=https://archive.org/details/bradburychronicl00well |url-access=registration |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-054581-9}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite thesis|last=Aggelis|first=Steven Louis|url=http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:168044/datastream/PDF/view|title=Conversations with Ray Bradbury|publisher=[[Florida State University]]|year=2003}} - [https://repository.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu%3A168044 Profile] - PhD thesis

==External links==
{{Sister project links|d=Q40640|c=category:Ray Bradbury|s=Author:Ray Bradbury|wikt=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|n=no}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://bradbury.iupui.edu Center for Ray Bradbury Studies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615140956/https://bradbury.iupui.edu/ |date=June 15, 2022 }}, at [[Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis|Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)]]
* [https://www.samweller.net Bradbury Biographer Sam Weller's web site]
* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/ray-bradbury}}
* {{Internet Archive author|sname=Ray Douglas Bradbury}}
* {{Librivox author|id=9830}}
* {{New York Times topic|new_id=person/ray-bradbury}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{ISFDB name|194}}
* {{Gutenberg author|id=41269}}
* {{OL author}}
* {{discogs artist|Ray Bradbury}}

{{Ray Bradbury|state=expanded}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Ray Bradbury
| list =
{{Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement}}
{{Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Awards}}
{{Hugo Award Best Novel}}
{{Hugo Award Best Short Story}}
{{Inkpot Award 1970s}}
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 2000s}}
{{PulitzerPrize SpecialCitations Letters}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Writing 1973–1990}}
{{The George Pal Memorial Award}}
{{World Fantasy Award Life Achievement}}
{{Valentine Davies Award}}
}}
{{EC Comics}}
{{Portal bar|Speculative fiction|Speculative fiction/Horror|Biography|United States|California}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradbury, Ray}}
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