Alistair MacLean was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1922. After attending Highland High School, he served in the Navy during World War II. He then went on to graduate from Glasgow University. MacLean wrote the bestsellers "HMS Ulysses," "The Guns of Navarone," "Ice Station Zebra," "Where Eagles Dare," "Dark Crusader," "Satan Bug," and "Captain Cook: A Biography." MacLean died on February 2, 1987 in Munich.