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Harlan Ellison® (yes, he's [[Disney Owns This Trope|made his own name a registered trademark]]) is a famously grumpy [[Berserk Button|science fiction wri-]] erm, that is, [[Insistent Terminology|writer]]. His work has won eight and a half Hugo Awards, three Nebula Awards (plus a lifetime achievement award), five Bram Stoker Awards (including a lifetime achievement award), two Edgar Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards for Most Outstanding Teleplay -- more awards than almost any other living writer -- but it's his personality that everybody remembers about him. [[Jerkass|For some reason.]]
 
He suffered ''severe'' [[Internet Backdraft]] when he groped [[Connie Willis]] in public, which many fans consider his [[Moral Event Horizon]].<ref>Or, to [[Broken Base|many of his fans]], a ''serious'' [[What the Hell, Hero?]], considering his well-known [[Hypocritical Humor|loathing of sexists]]; Ellison himself has described it as [[Dude, Not Funny|a failed attempt]] to [[Crosses the Line Twice|cross the line twice]].</ref>
 
== Famous works include: ==
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* ''The Glass Teat'' and ''The Other Glass Teat'', a two-book collection of television and social criticism.
* Was hired by [[Warner Brothers]] in the late 1970s to write a film adaptation of [[Isaac Asimov]]'s ''I, Robot''; the script (which is available in book format) is highly-regarded by those who have read it, but the project fell apart after Ellison accused a studio exec of having the intellectual capacity of an artichoke.
* Was also given a crack at the script for ''[[Star Trek: theThe Motion Picture (Film)|Star Trek the Motion Picture]]''. His take forced the ''Enterprise'' crew to choose whether to destroy an entire alternate universe in order to rescue their own, but (as usual) [[Executive Meddling|an executive wanted to toss in his own two cents]] - in this case, a good deal of [[Mayincatec|space-Mayan mysticism]]. Ellison told him to go soak his head, and the script was eventually written by [[Alan Dean Foster|another writer]].
* "Jeffty is Five", a Hugo- and Nebula-Award-winning 1977 short story.
* Conceptual consultant on ''[[Babylon 5]]'' (and made a couple of guest appearances)
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* ''[[The Starlost]]''.
* [http://www.penny-arcade.com/2005/9/26/ Penny Arcade], of all things.
* ''[[Star Wars]]'', because people consider it a [[SturgeonsSturgeon's Law|good science fiction story]] but it doesn't really examine the effect of the setting on humanity as a whole.
** Which feeds back into [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDNrnpefGio the distinction between "science fiction" and "sci-fi"].
* [[The Napoleon|His height]].
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* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE Attempts to persuade him that he should do something for free] that he feels entitled to be paid for.
 
Harlan Ellison isn't really grumpy all the time, and he does have friends, and there are also stories demonstrating that he's [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold|capable of being a wonderful human being]]. He also appeared as a [[Self -Parody|grumpy caricature]] of himself in [[Scooby Doo Mystery Inc]], giving a lecture that concluded "...and that's why nothing good has been written since the 1970s". The stories about Grumpy Harlan Ellison are a lot funnier, though (example: allegedly once mailing an executive roadkill -- ''fourth class'' -- along with a recipe for gopher stew).
 
For an in-depth look at the man's genius, madness, and general [[Jerkass|assholery]], check out the documentary on his life and career: ''[http://hotdocsaudience.bside.com/2008/films/dreamswithsharpteeth_hotdocs2008 Dreams with Sharp Teeth]''. The film features commentary by [[Robin Williams]], [[Neil Gaiman]], [[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined (TV)|Ronald D. Moore]] and others who have known, worked with, or have been influenced by Ellison and his writings.
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* [[Unreliable Narrator]]: ''Many'' of his stories about his interactions with Hollywood/other writers have gotten called into question by the rest of the science fiction community. Ellison is one of those people who won't let the truth get in the way of a good story; take anything he says with a salt mine.
* [[What Could Have Been]]: His script for a film adaptation of ''[[I Robot (Literature)|I Robot]]''.
* [[What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made On Drugs?]]: Very famously, Ellison neither drinks nor smokes nor gets blasted out of his mind on acid ''ever''. [[Badass|He used to smoke a pipe,]] but quit that years ago.
** Many people attending science fiction conventions in the late 60s and early 70s remember Ellison as smelling so strongly of pot you could get high standing next to him. He has often railed against ''hard'' drugs, though.
* [[Why Fandom Can't Have Nice Things]]: Wrote an essay on it (sci fi/fantasy literature, specifically), called "Xenogenesis", which included a number of examples of the awful things that have been done to him and other writers by fans.
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