George R.R. Martin

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-08-06

George Raymond Martin was born on September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey, and grew up in a working-class family; his father was a longshoreman. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism, graduating summa cum laude, and a master's degree in journalism, both from Northwestern University's Medill School, in 1970 and 1971. After registering as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, he worked as a VISTA volunteer from 1972 to 1974, supported himself for a time directing chess tournaments, and taught English and journalism at Clarke University from 1976 to 1979 before moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to write full time. In the mid-1980s he worked in Hollywood, writing for television series including The Twilight Zone, Max Headroom, and Beauty and the Beast, on which he served as co-supervising producer. He is best known for the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, begun in 1996, which HBO adapted as Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2019. Martin has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and received the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2012.