Ib Melchior

Melchior was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, the son of Lauritz Melchior, an opera singer. He served in the Counterintelligence Corps (U.S. Army) during World War II, getting his training at Camp Ritchie in Maryland which classifies him as one of the Ritchie Boys. He also participated in the liberation of Flossenbürg concentration camp as well as the discovery of stolen currency, gold and art at Merkers-Kieselbach Cavern, and the capture of a Werwolf unit in 1945, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star. He was also involved in a long legal battle involving his father's estate, Chossewitz in Brandenburg, Germany, which was confiscated by the communist government of East Germany and never returned. In 1965, a decorated war hero, he was dubbed Knight Commander of the Militant Order of Saint Bridget of Sweden. In 1976, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films awarded Ib Melchior its Golden Scroll Award of Merit for Outstanding Achievement. Biographies include Ib Melchior: Man of Imagination by Robert Skotak, as well as Melchior's own autobiography Case by Case: A U.S. Army Counterintelligence Agent in World War II. Melchior died of natural causes on March 14, 2015, at the age of 97, five months after the death of his wife of over 50 years, architect Cleo Baldon.

Melchior's novels include Code Name: Grand Guignol, Eva, The Haigerloch Project, The Marcus Device, Order of Battle: Hitler's Werewolves, Sleeper Agent, The Tombstone Cipher and The Watchdogs of Abaddon. His non-fiction includes the books Quest: Searching for Germany's Nazi Past (with co-author Frank Brandenburg) and Lauritz Melchior: The Golden Years of Bayreuth, the latter a biography of his father, the opera singer and movie star Lauritz Melchior. In 1993 Melchior published an account of his career as a staff sergeant with the US Counterintelligence Corps (U.S. Army) during World War II, Case by Case: A U.S. Army Counterintelligence Agent in World War II. With his wife, Cleo Baldon, Melchior wrote the non-fiction books Reflections on the Pool: California Designs for Swimming and Steps & Stairways, both influenced by Baldon's work as an architect. Melchior also wrote Hour of Vengeance, a play based on the Viking story of Amled that also inspired William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. In 1982, it was awarded the Hamlet Award for best playwriting by the Shakespeare Society of America.

• Lawrence Fultz Jr., "The Man from Angry Red Planet: Ib Melchior", Monster Bash Magazine, 2007, No. 6 • Brett Homenick, "THE IMAGINATION OF IB MELCHIOR! A Conversation with the Danish Monster Moviemaker!" Vantage Point Interviews, July 2012. https: vantagepointinterviews.com/2017/05/18/the-imagination-of-ib-melchior-a-conversation-with-the-danish-monster-movie-maker/

• David C. Hayes, "Return to the Angry Red Planet", Planet X Magazine, October 2000, Vol. 1, No. 4

* * * • Ib Melchior on The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction • A documentary film on the life of famed Hollywood director IB Melchior • Trailers from Melchior's best-known films, with his own commentary