Larry Collins was an American journalist and author, best known for his historical books co-written with Dominique Lapierre. Born in West Hartford, Connecticut, Larry Collins was educated at the Loomis Chaffee Institute in Windsor, Connecticut, and graduated from Yale University in 1951.

After his education, he worked in the advertising department of Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, before being conscripted into the US Army. While serving in the public affairs office of the Allied Headquarters in Paris, from 1953-1955, he met Dominique Lapierre. Together, they wrote several best-sellers over a span of 43 years.

After his military service, he returned to Procter and Gamble, becoming the products manager of the new foods division in 1955. Disillusioned with commerce, he shifted to journalism, joining the Paris bureau of United Press International in 1956, and soon became the news editor in Rome.