Irving Shulman, 81; Scriptwriter, Novelist

Irving Shulman, a novelist, biographer and screenwriter whose work became a classic sociological study of juvenile delinquency and included such films as “Rebel Without a Cause,” has died. He was 81.

Shulman died Thursday in his Sherman Oaks home, his wife, Julia, announced Monday.

The writer, whose 1955 script made the young James Dean a cult figure, based “Rebel” on his 1955 novel “Children of the Dark.”

Shulman penned further works that also launched the careers of young actors. The first was his novel “The Amboy Dukes,” which he scripted as “City Across the River” in 1949 and which afforded Tony Curtis his first major acting role. Shulman also wrote the 1952 film “The Ring,” starring Rita Moreno and based on his novel “The Square Trap.”

The versatile writer was also among the first to turn scripts for plays or films into novels, most notably writing the novel of “West Side Story.”

Shulman published more than 15 novels and three biographies: “Harlow: An Intimate Biography” in 1964, “Valentino” in 1967 and “Jackie: The Exploitation of a First Lady” in 1970.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he earned his bachelor’s degree at Ohio University, his master’s at Columbia University and, at the age of 59, his doctorate at UCLA. In addition to his prolific writing career, Shulman taught at George Washington University, UCLA and Cal State Los Angeles.

During World War II he worked for the War Department in Washington as a statistician and information specialist.

Shulman had his bar mitzvah at age 70 (57 years after the normal age) and was elected to the scholastic honorary society Phi Beta Kappa when he was 75.

In addition to his wife of 57 years, Shulman is survived by two daughters, Joan Alexander and Leslie Bratspis; a brother, Saul, and four grandchildren.

The family has asked that any memorial donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Assn.