Ray Connolly was brought up in Lancashire. After reading social anthropology at the London School of Economics in the Sixties he began a career in journalism. Between 1967 and 1973 he wrote a weekly interview column for the London Evening Standard, concentrating mainly on popular culture and music. Since then he has written for The Sunday Times, The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Observer. He now writes regularly for the Daily Mail.

His first novel, A Girl Who Came To Stay, was published in 1973. Several other novels followed, including Sunday Morning, Shadows On A Wall and most recently Love Out Of Season.

Working with producer David Puttnam he wrote the original screenplays for the films That’ll Be the Day and Stardust, and wrote and directed the feature length documentary James Dean: The First American Teenager.

He has also written for television, most notably the series Lytton’s Diary and Perfect Scoundrels, as well as for radio. His radio play, Unimaginable, broadcast in December 2005, concerned the twenty four hours around the death of John Lennon, whom he was due to see on the day the former Beatle was murdered.

He has recently completed a new novel, Kill for Love.

Married to Plum, he has three children, and lives in London.