Hunter S. Thompson Biography
- Home /
- Hunter S. Thompson /
- Biography

- Born July 18, 1937
Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author, and the founder of the gonzo journalism movement. He first rose to prominence with the publication of Hell\'s Angels (1967), a book for which he spent a year living and riding with the Hells Angels motorcycle gang in order to write a first-hand account of lives and experiences of its members.\n', '
In 1970 he wrote an unconventional magazine feature entitled The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved for Scanlan\'s Monthly which both raised his profile and established him as a writer with counter-culture credibility. It also set him on a path to establishing his own sub-genre of New Journalism which he called "Gonzo," which was essentially an ongoing experiment in which the writer becomes a central figure and even a participant in the events of the narrative.\n', '
Thompson remains best known for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1971), a book first serialized in Rolling Stone in which he grapples with the implications of what he considered the failure of the 1960s counterculture movement. It was adapted on film twice: loosely in Where the Buffalo Roam starring Bill Murray as Thompson in 1980, and directly in 1998 by director Terry Gilliam in a film starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. The Doonesbury cartoon character Duke – who was modeled after Thompson – pens an essay about "my shoplifting conviction" entitled "Fear and Loathing at Macy\'s Menswear", a reference to Thompson\'s book.\n', '
Return to Hunter S. Thompson Autograph Profile
Stats
Join the RACC Facebook Group!
The Real Autograph Collectors Club (RACC) on Facebook is the largest community of in person autograph collectors and fans in the world, with 25,000 members and growing!
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Useful Links
WORLDWIDE RACC (Our Top Cities)
New York, NY
USA
Los Angeles, CA
USA
London
United Kingdom
Chicago, IL
USA
Toronto, ON
Canada