Anne Rice, born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien, was an American author renowned for her gothic, supernatural, and religious-themed literature. She was born on October 4, 1941, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and passed away on December 11, 2021, in Rancho Mirage, California.

She is best known for her series The Vampire Chronicles, which explores themes of love, death, immortality, existentialism, and the human condition. The first book of the series, Interview with the Vampire, published in 1976, was adapted into a successful film in 1994. Her literary career also includes works of erotic fiction under the pen names Anne Rampling and A.N. Roquelaure. Despite mixed initial reactions to her work, she later gained critical acclaim, particularly in the 1980s.

Anne was married to poet and painter Stan Rice for 41 years, from 1961 until his death in 2002. They had two children, Michele, who died young, and Christopher, who followed in her literary footsteps.

Anne Rice's books have sold nearly 100 million copies worldwide, making her one of the most widely read authors of modern times. Her writing style and literary content have been subjects of analysis by numerous literary commentators.

Though raised in a Catholic family, Rice became an agnostic in her youth and later returned to Catholicism briefly before considering herself a secular humanist. Her journey with faith also influenced her work, leading to notable religious-themed novels such as Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana.