Laura Hillenbrand biography
Date of birth : 1967-05-15
Date of death : -
Birthplace : Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Nationality : American
Category : Famous Figures
Last modified : 2011-06-29
Credited as : Author, Seabiscuit, Operation Iraqi Children
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Laura Hillenbrand's 2001 book Seabiscuit: An American Legend told the true-life story of heroic 1930s racehorse Seabiscuit and the men who handled him. The book was a surprise best-seller and won critical acclaim, including being named a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Hillenbrand wrote the book despite suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and vertigo, illnesses which began after she suffered a case of food poisoning while a sophomore at Kenyon College in 1987. A specialist in thoroughbred history, she has written for Equus, Turf, American Heritage and many other publications.
Hillenbrand's book was the basis for the 2003 Universal movie Seabiscuit, starring Tobey Maguire and Jeff Bridges.
Hillenbrand's second book was Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (2010), a biography of World War II hero Louis Zamperini (1917-).
Her essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Equus magazine, American Heritage, The Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Times, The Backstretch, Turf and Sport Digest, and many other publications. Her 1998 American Heritage article on the horse Seabiscuit won the Eclipse Award for Magazine Writing.
Hillenbrand is a co-founder of Operation Iraqi Children.
