Robert Ludlum was born in New York City and raised in Short Hills, New Jersey. At the age of 14, he left home to go on to the stage. His parents fetched him back and sent him to school. In the war, he enlisted with the marines and was sent to the South Pacific. After the war, he went to study at the Wesleyan University where he met his future wife, Mary Ryducha. They were married just before he graduated in 1951. Over the next few years, they acted together on and off Broadway, and on New York television. In 1956, he gave up acting and turned to producing. He produced plays at a theatre in Fort Lee, New Jersey from 1957 to 1960, and over the next nine years was in charge of the Playhouse-on-the-Mall in Paramus, New Jersey. In spite of his success as an actor and producer, Ludlum was not content. He turned to writing. His first book was a great success, followed by many more.
He also wrote three novels under the pseudonyms 'Michael Shepherd' and 'Jonathan Ryder'. They were later reissued under his own name. He is the creator of 'Jason Bourne', a member of a top secret Special Forces unit. See also Eric Van Lustbader and Brian Freeman.