Stanley Gardner was an American author and lawyer best known for his series of Perry Mason detective novels. He was born in 1889 and graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1912. He practiced law in California until 1933, when he began writing full-time. He wrote more than 80 novels and short stories, many of which were adapted into films and television series. His most famous character, Perry Mason, was featured in over 30 novels and was the basis for a popular television series. Gardner also wrote under the pen names A.A. Fair and Charles J. Kenny. He died in 1970 at the age of 81.