Robert Graysmith
Robert Graysmith (born Robert Gray Smith; September 17, 1942) is an American true crime author and former cartoonist, known for authoring the 1986 book Zodiac, based on his work on the Zodiac Killer case.
Also recorded as Robert Gray Smith
Robert Graysmith
- Name
- Robert Graysmith
- Birth Name
- Robert Gray Smith
- Born
- 17 September 1942
- Birthplace
- Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
- Occupation
- Author, cartoonist
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Robert Graysmith (born Robert Gray Smith; September 17, 1942) is an American true crime author and former cartoonist, known for authoring the 1986 book Zodiac, based on his work on the Zodiac Killer case.
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Note VALÉORINE
Robert Graysmith (born 1942) is a journalist, non-fiction writer and writer, of American nationality. The journalist was born in Pensacola. Robert Graysmith lived in San Francisco. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q1338953 · wikipedia · Robert Graysmith
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Robert Graysmith • Birth Name — Robert Gray Smith • Born — 17 September 1942 • Birthplace — Pensacola, Florida, U.S. • Occupation — Author, cartoonist • Notable Works — Zodiac (1986)
Career
Career
Graysmith worked as a political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969, when the Zodiac Killer case came to prominence. He attempted to decode letters written by the killer and became obsessed with the case over the next 13 years. Graysmith wrote two books about the case; his 1986 book Zodiac was the basis for the 2007 film by the same name. He eventually gave up his career as a cartoonist to write five more books on high-profile crimes, one of which became the basis for the film Auto Focus (2002).
Personal life
Personal life
Graysmith was married to Margaret Ann Womack, a nurse, from 1963 to 1973. He then married Melanie Krakower in 1975, but they divorced in 1980. He directly attributes his failed marriage to his intense interest in the Zodiac case.
In popular culture
In popular culture
The film Zodiac (2007), directed by David Fincher, was based on his books and featured Jake Gyllenhaal as Graysmith.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1942
Robert Graysmith born at Pensacola.
1985
Zodiac El Asesino Del Zodiaco Robert Graysmith digitised by Internet Archive.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- San Francisco
Named but not plotted · 1
Pensacola.
Birth place
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Graysmith, Robert 1942-. Encyclopedia.com.
- 2.Booth, William. A Killer Obsession. The Washington Post. March 1, 2007.
- 3.stopsmilingonline.com. Just the Facts: David Fincher's Zodiac.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 12
- Graysmith, R. Zodiac. St. Martin's Press. 1986. 978-0-312-89895-3.
- Graysmith, R. The Sleeping Lady: the trailside murders above the Golden Gate. Onyx. 1990. 978-0-451-40255-4.
- Graysmith, R. The Murder of Bob Crane: who killed the star of Hogan's Heroes?. Crown Publishers. 1993. 978-0-517-59209-0.
- Graysmith, R. Unabomber: a desire to kill. Regnery. 1997. 9780895263971.
- Graysmith, R. The Bell Tower: the case of Jack the Ripper finally solved. Regnery. 1999. 978-0-89526-324-7.
- Graysmith, R. Ghostfleet. Regnery. 1999. 978-0-89526-271-4.
- Graysmith, R. Zodiac Unmasked: the identity of America's most elusive serial killer revealed. Berkley Books. 2002. 978-0-425-18332-8.
- Graysmith, R. Amerithrax: the hunt for the anthrax killer. Berkley Books. 2003. 978-0-425-19190-3.
- Graysmith, R. The Laughing Gorilla: a true story of police corruption and murder. Berkley Books. 2009. 978-0-425-23014-5.
- Graysmith, R. The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower. Berkley Books. 2010. 978-0-425-23231-6.
- Graysmith, R. Black Fire: the true story of the original Tom Sawyer. Crown Publishers. 2012. 978-0-307-72056-6.
- Graysmith, R. Shooting Zodiac. Monkey's Paw Publishing, Inc. 2021. 978-1-73658-005-9.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
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