Biography of Dick Francis 
31 October 1920, Dick Francis, born on a farm in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Dick Francis is the author of many best-selling mysteries which are set against a racing background and he writes mystery/thrillers.

As a youngster, Dick Francis was a keen horseman and won many 'best boy rider' awards at all the major horse shows between the wars. He served in the Royal Air Force for six years during World War II, piloting fighter and bomber aircraft including the Spitfire and Lancaster between 1943 and 1946. In 1946, he debuts as an amateur jockey on Russian Hero and in the next year, he won for the first time, after 39 races. Francis also married Mary Margaret Brenchly in the same year.

In 1948, Francis becomes Professional National Hunt Jockey and second jockey for Lord Bicester. Then in 1954, he becomes National Hunt's Champion Jockey by wining 76 of 331 races. In February 1957, he gave up riding professionally and joined The London Sunday Express as their racing correspondent and stayed on for 16 years until he retired in 1973.

He published his racing autobiography, The Sport of Queens, in December 1957, detailing his career as a jockey and his first thriller, Dead Cert, in 1962. There has been a bestselling novel every year since. Forfeit (1968), Whip Hand (1979) and Come to Grief (1996) each won an Edgar Allen Poe Award for best novel from the Mystery Writers of America, the only author to win more than one of this prestigious award. In addition he has received Silver, Gold and Diamond Dagger awards from the Crime Writers Association and an OBE from the Queen. Francis was made an Officer of the most noble Order of the British Empire in 1984.

Francis's books have been bestsellers in a number of countries, and have been translated into more than 30 languages, including all European languages, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Bantu, and several dialects of Chinese. Each of his novels has also been recorded on audio in both Britain and the United States.

Dick Francis and his wife, Mary, who helps with much of the research for his books, live in the Cayman Islands, British West Indies with two grown sons, Merrick and Felix. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and the couple also return to England yearly for the Grand National.