George Raymond Richard Martin, known as George R. R. Martin or by his initials G.R.R.M., was born on September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. He is a celebrated American author, television writer, and producer, best known for his epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. This series was adapted into the Emmy Award-winning television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019) and its subsequent prequel series, House of the Dragon (2022–present).

Martin also contributed to the creation of the Wild Cards anthology series and was involved in the worldbuilding for the video game Elden Ring (2022). He has been referred to as "the American Tolkien" by Lev Grossman in 2005, and in 2011, he was honored in the Time 100 list of the most influential people globally.

Currently residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Martin is a patron of the arts, having funded Meow Wolf and owning the Jean Cocteau Cinema. The city of Santa Fe celebrates George R. R. Martin Day every year on March 29.

Martin's passion for storytelling began at a young age, selling monster stories to neighborhood children. He later became a comic book collector and began writing fiction for comic fanzines during high school. His first professional sale, "The Hero," was made in 1970 to Galaxy magazine.