Leonard Cyril Deighton, known as Len Deighton, is a renowned British author born on 18 February 1929. His literary contributions span cookery books, historical writings, but he is best recognized for his engaging spy novels.

After serving in the Royal Air Force, Deighton pursued education at the Saint Martin's School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London, graduating in 1955. Before embarking on his writing career, he worked as an illustrator and even designed the cover for the first UK edition of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. He also spent some time in an advertising agency.

During an extended holiday in France, he penned his first novel, The IPCRESS File, published in 1962, achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success. This work introduced readers to a cynical and tough, unnamed working-class intelligence officer, a character that featured in several of his subsequent spy novels.

In addition to fiction, Deighton was the food correspondent for The Observer, creating innovative "cookstrips" that culminated in Len Deighton's Action Cook Book in 1965. He authored five cookery books and wrote on military history.

Deighton's works have often been best-sellers, earning him comparisons to John le Carré, W. Somerset Maugham, Eric Ambler, Ian Fleming, and Graham Greene. His novels are celebrated for their complex narratives, thorough research, and authenticity.

Many adaptations of Deighton's books have been made for film and radio, including The Ipcress File (1965), Funeral in Berlin (1966), and Billion Dollar Brain (1967). A miniseries, Game, Set and Match, was produced by Granada Television in 1988, and BBC Radio 4 dramatized his novel Bomber in 1995.