- In his heyday, he was one of the most popular writers in the UK, second only to Charles Dickens.
- He died while in Hollywood working on a film project that would become King Kong (1933). He had only been in the country for three months before succumbing to double pneumonia in February 1932.
- For a 20th-century author he has had the greatest number of novels made into movies.
- Was an early mentor of director Carol Reed.
- Almost 30 years after his death there was a sudden explosion of popularity for his works due to British--and especially German--feature films based on his stories. There were also numerous TV adaptations produced in the UK.
- Was an inveterate gambler.
- Although his estate consisted mostly of debts, the ongoing popularity of his works through continuing royalties put his estate in the black within two years of his death.
- His output was prolific. During the 1920s alone he wrote 170 novels, 170 plays and hundreds of short stories. Excluding the Bible and textbooks, 25% of all the books manufactured in the UK were written by him.
- The only contribution of his that would make it into the finished King Kong (1933) was the idea of giving Kong human characteristics.
- Father of Bryan Edgar Wallace, who followed in his footsteps as a writer of thrillers, some of which were filmed.
- In Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures (2004) his opinion about the disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926 is mentioned.
- After suffering business losses due to his experience with British Lion Films, he ran for a seat in Parliament on the Liberal Party ticket for Blackpool. He was defeated.
- More than 160 films have been made based on his work.
- Formed British Lion Film Corp.. with S.W. Smith as managing director, in 1928. Their first film was The Squeaker (1930), a silent film.
- It has been claimed that he could dictate an entire novel within one day.
- To this day, he has a considerable fan base in Germany. This is courtesy of the loose adaptations that were produced of his books, from 1959-72.
- Despite his being an incredibly prolific writer, he is largely a forgotten name in the UK.
- Was a war correspondent during the Boer War.
- In 1927 he was elected chairman of the board of British Lion Films. He received 10,000 pounds worth of stock, 1000 for each one of his works filmed by the company, 10% of the company's annual profits and an annual salary of 500 pounds. The deal was not particularly lucrative for him, although he acted in and directed many of the films made from his works.
- Was an illegitimate child.
- Began experiencing severe headaches, which led to his being diagnosed with diabetes.
- Was a member of the Liberal party.
- Was of an Irish background, with his parents being Irish Catholics.
- During his childhood, he was known as Richard Horatio Edgar Freeman. The surname was that of his adopted parents.
- Upon registering with the army, he was stationed in South Africa with the West Kent regiment in 1896.
- Initially, his writing career was mainly focused on reducing his financial debts, which were considerable.
- Worked as a journalist for the London newspaper, "The Daily Mail".
- By 1929 he was earning approximately £50,000 a year.
- In 1923 he became the first British radio sports reporter.
- Wrote the screenplay for the first talkie film of Arthur Conan Doyle's "Hound of the Baskervilles.".
- As a playwright, his greatest successes were the plays "The Green Pack" and "On the Spot.".
- At the time of his sudden passing, he was planning to adapt a few of his own novels in Hollywood.
- Father of Eleanor Clare Hellier Wallace, Bryan Edgar Wallace, Patricia Marion Caldecott Wallace, Michael Blair Wallace and Penelope Wallace, grandfather of Penelope Wyrd, half-brother of Marriott Edgar, uncle of Hindle Edgar.
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