Bernard Cornwell

Beloved British historical novelist Bernard Cornwell, OBE, is a prolific author best-known for creating the epic series featuring Rifleman Richard Sharpe, which were later adapted for a televised series, Sharpe, starring Sean Bean. A history buff since childhood, C.S. Forester’s novels about the Napoleonic Wars captured his imagination propelling him to study history at the University College London. He joined BBC Television shortly upon graduation working as a producer. In 1979, a transatlantic romance relocated him to the United States, where he continues to reside today. Since 1982, Cornwell’s 60-plus books have sold more than 20 million copies around the world. He has crossed the Atlantic in a small sailboat, played Prospero in The Tempest in summer stock theatre and was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to literature and television production in 2006.