Biography for
J. Michael Straczynski

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Date of Birth

17 July 1954, Paterson, New Jersey, USA

Birth Name

Joseph Michael Straczynski

Nickname

JMS

Height

6' 3½" (1.92 m)

Spouse

Kathryn M. Drennan

(? - ?)

Trivia

He was a host of "Hour 25", a weekly science fiction talk radio show in L.A. for 5 years.

In addition to his successful television career, has found new stardom as a writer of comic books. As the new writer of the Amazing Spiderman, he managed to triple that book's sales in less than a year.

Wrote the comic book series Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, and the one-shot Dream Police for comic book publisher Image/Top Cow's imprint "Joe's Comics." He also wrote a hardcover all-ages storybook, Delicate Creatures.

Creator and "father" of scifi-show Babylon 5, which won two Hugo Awards.

A frequent speaker at conventions and seminars, Straczynski has spoken to crowds in the thousands in England and throughout the United States. He has also spoken at a variety of universities, including the the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab (which pronounced Babylon 5 one of the three seminal American science fiction series, the other two being the original Twilight Zone and Star Trek series) and UCLA.

Winner of the Inkpot and Eisner Awards, San Diego International Comic Arts Exposition, 1993 and 2002, respectively.

Said to have come up with the inspiration for Babylon 5 while taking a shower.

First met Harlan Ellison in person when both were walking the picket line during the Hollywood Writer's Strike in 1991.

Although he attended his 20-year high school reunion, he only found one former classmate who "sort of" remembered him.

Claims to have read the Bible cover to cover, twice.

In 2003, Straczynski rescued a Maine Coon (a breed of cat) kitten that had fallen into a landscaping drain in his yard; a 16-hour operation which ultimately involved digging up large portions of the yard and calling out the fire department and a number of plumbers. Buddy is now doing well, and rules the Straczynski household with a velvet paw.

Cracked a molar while nervously grinding his teeth in preparation for pitching Babylon 5 to studio executives. He opted to continue with the pitch instead of having emergency dental work and doing it the next day.

As a struggling young writer he telephoned Harlan Ellison for advice. Ellison replied, "The reason your stories are being rejected is because you're writing crap. Stop writing crap!".

Despite the prevalence of religious figures and symbols in his stories and shows, he is a self-professed atheist.

Announced at WonderCon 2008 that the uncompleted Crusade series was "finished" i.e., there would be no further work done on it.

When speaking to a crowd he always stands, never sits. The reason is that he feels that as a writer or a screenwriter he works for the public, and an employee never sits in front of his boss.

Straczynski's "Changeling" was selected as one of 20 films in competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2008.

Personal Quotes

On the Babylon 5 theatrical film, The Memory of Shadows: "The only thing I can say is that phase one of the new project is a go, hence the furious writing schedule at this end of things... I've been writing my little brains out. I wouldn't go on about something in this way if it wasn't a significant development."

The loss of Richard Biggs kind of took the wind out of our sails and it's taken a while for me to feel up to saying anything about B5. This has also had the effect of slowing up anything to do with B5:TMoS (which as some of you have guessed or inferred does indeed stand for The Memory of Shadows), because in the writing we/I never imagined he wouldn't be here to be a part of it.

On casting Michael O'Hare as Jeffrey Sinclair on Babylon 5: "He's a classically trained actor, a graduate of Juliard, who just knocked us out when he came in to audition. He has a tremendous presence, and a voice vaguely reminiscent of Clint Eastwood at times. His face has a curiously haunted look, but at the same time is (I'm told by the women who go "yum" whenever he enters the room) quite appealing."

On the cancellation of the Babylon 5 feature film, The Memory of Shadows: "This was not the first time someone's taken a run at a B5 feature film, and it will not be the last. Eventually it will happen, because such things are simply inevitable. If they can do a Brady Bunch movie, you can be sure that sooner or later, somebody's going to do a B5 movie."

On the prospect of future Babylon 5 feature film projects: "The only thing I can say without equivocation is that when that day comes, as the rights-holder, I will make darned sure that it's done right, because I'd rather have no B5 movie than one that doesn't live up to what fans and I myself would want to see. To that end...I can wait."

In every other science fiction series, humans are at the top of the food chain. In the Babylon 5 universe, they're in the bottom third.

(Regarding the decision to kill off the popular character of Marcus Cole on Babylon 5) "Had I known that Claudia Christian (Susan Ivanova) was not going to return in the fifth season, I might have rethought that decision and kept him around."

Speaking as an atheist, if there is to be a church of JMS, then I must become its first apostate and refuse to believe in myself (adding further insecurity to my life), and nail a whole bunch of theses to the front door on the way out...

Where Are They Now

(November 2003) Currently writing Amazing Spider-Man, Supreme Power, and an upcoming Doctor Strange project for Marvel comics

(November 2004) Releasing the last three issues of his original comic book, Rising Stars, following a multi-year delay.

(February 2005) Announced that his film Babylon 5: The Memory of Shadows had been cancelled.

(October 2005) Launches Babylon5scripts.com and starts releasing all 92 scripts he wrote for Babylon 5. First TV writer in history to ever publish all their scripts for a show. When done it will total 14 volumes and 6,000+ pages of material.

(February 2006) Writer, co-producer and co-director, "The Adventuers of Apocalypse Al," a 20-episode radio drama series for the Canadian Broadcasting System. Produced February 2006, to air Summer 2006, starring Cynthia Dale.

(March 2006) Comics: Now also writing The Fantastic Four, The Book of Lost Souls, Squadron Supreme, and Bullet Points (miniseries), all for Marvel Comics.

(November 2006) Writing Thor and Lost Heroes for Marvel Comics, as well as writing two new big-budget features on assignment, one for Universal Studios, the other for Paramount.

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