Sir Arthur Charles Clarke CBE FRAS was a renowned British science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host.

Famous for co-writing the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, widely considered one of the most influential films of all time, Clarke was an avid populariser of space travel and a futurist of uncanny ability. His writings on these topics earned him the moniker "Prophet of the Space Age."

Clarke authored over a dozen books and numerous essays, appearing in various popular magazines. In 1961, he received the Kalinga Prize, a UNESCO award for popularising science. His science fiction work earned him several Hugo and Nebula awards, establishing him as a towering figure in the genre.

Alongside Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov, Clarke was considered one of the "Big Three" of science fiction. A lifelong space travel proponent, he joined the British Interplanetary Society in 1934 and, in 1945, proposed a satellite communication system using geostationary orbits. He served as the Society's chairman from 1946–1947 and again in 1951–1953.

Clarke emigrated to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1956 to pursue scuba diving, discovering the underwater ruins of the ancient Koneswaram temple in Trincomalee that year. During the 1980s, he also gained fame as the host of television shows such as Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World. He lived in Sri Lanka until his death.

In 1989, Clarke was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to British cultural interests in Sri Lanka. He was knighted in 1998 and awarded Sri Lanka's highest civil honour, Sri Lankabhimanya, in 2005.