Walter Mosley

American novelist (born 1952)

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Born: January 12, 1952
Age in 2026: 74
Zodiac sign: Capricorn
Birth year: 1952

About Walter Mosley

Walter Ellis Mosley (born January 12, 1952) is an American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hardboiled detective Easy Rawlins, a private investigator living in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In 2020, Mosley received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, making him the first Black man to receive the honor. == Personal life == Mosley was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Ella (née Slatkin), was Jewish and worked as a personnel clerk. Her ancestors had immigrated from Russia. His father, Leroy Mosley (1916–1993), was an African American from Louisiana who was a supervising custodian at a Los Angeles public school. He had worked as a clerk in the segregated US army during the Second World War. His parents tried to marry in 1951, and while the union was legal in California, where they were living, no one would give them a marriage license. Mosley was an only child.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

The world premiere of Mosley's first play, The Fall of Heaven, was staged at the Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati, Ohio, in January 2010.
One of his tutors there, Irish writer Edna O'Brien, became a mentor and encouraged him, saying, "You're Black, Jewish, with a poor upbringing; there are riches therein." Mosley still resides in New York City.
Mosley's first published book, Devil in a Blue Dress, was the basis of a 1995 movie starring Denzel Washington, and the following year, a 10-part abridgement of the novel by Margaret Busby, read by Paul Winfield, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Walter Mosley timeline

1995Mosley's first published book, Devil in a Blue Dress, was the basis of a 1995 movie starring Denzel Washington, and the following year, a 10-part abridgement of the novel by Margaret Busby, read by Paul Winfield, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
2010The world premiere of Mosley's first play, The Fall of Heaven, was staged at the Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati, Ohio, in January 2010.
2020In 2020, Mosley received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, making him the first Black man to receive the honor.

The world when Walter Mosley was born

Walter Mosley was born in 1952. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1952

#1 song"You Belong to Me" – Jo Stafford
Top movieThe Greatest Show on Earth
Top TV showI Love Lucy
Best-selling bookThe Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentRocky Marciano becomes heavyweight champion
Top headlineDwight Eisenhower elected president
Technology milestoneFirst hydrogen bomb tested
Defining fadMr. Potato Head
Notable inventionMr. Potato Head (first toy advertised on TV)
World population2.63 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
Also wonMinneapolis Lakers (NBA)
U.S. population156.4M

1952 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Walter Mosley's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1952	2026
Gas	$0.27	$3.45/gal
Average home	$9,100	$435,000
Average income	$5,700	$67,500
Minimum wage	$0.75	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$0.60	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.03	$0.73
Population	156.4M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.