Philip MacDonald, a renowned British novelist, was born in London, England, in the year 1901. Notably, his grandfather was the esteemed Scottish novelist George MacDonald. As a young man, Philip demonstrated exceptional horsemanship skills, and prior to the outbreak of World War I, he trained horses acquired from Argentina for the British army. When the war broke out, he enlisted in the army and was deployed to a cavalry unit in Mesopotamia, which is now modern-day Iraq.
During his time in the army, Philip began writing, and his debut detective novel, "The Rasp", was published in 1924. This novel introduced his main character, Colonel Anthony Gethryn, who would later become the protagonist of a dozen more novels written by MacDonald. However, MacDonald's literary repertoire extended beyond the crime thriller genre. His novel "The Patrol" (1927) was a historical fiction piece that chronicled the experiences of a squad of British soldiers on patrol in the Mesopotamian desert during World War I, as they navigated constant attacks and ambushes by rampaging Arab bands. This novel was successfully adapted into a film, "The Lost Patrol", directed by John Ford in 1934.
In addition to his work as a novelist, MacDonald also wrote original screenplays. His most notable credit was likely his adaptation of Daphne DuMaurier's novel for Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca" (1940). He also ventured into television writing, penning episodes for a variety of series, including "Wagon Train" (1957),"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955),"The Virginian" (1962),and "Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950).
Philip MacDonald passed away in Woodland Hills, California, in the year 1980.
