Theodore Sturgeon, originally born as Edward Hamilton Waldo in Staten Island, New York, was a renowned American author known for his contributions to fantasy, science fiction, and horror literature. Sturgeon chose his surname in 1929 to match his mother's surname after her second marriage and adopted "Theodore" to align with his nickname, "Teddy." His mother, Christine Hamilton Dicker Sturgeon, was a well-educated writer and artist who published under the pseudonym Felix Sturgeon.

Initially aspiring to be a circus acrobat, Sturgeon's dreams were dashed due to an episode of rheumatic fever. From 1935 to 1938, he worked as a sailor in the merchant marine. He sold his first story in 1938, and his science fiction debut, "Ether Breather," was published in Astounding Science Fiction in 1939. Some of his early works were published under the pseudonym "E. Waldo Hunter."

Sturgeon married his first wife, Dorothe Fillingame, in 1940 and moved to the West Indies to manage a hotel. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and worked as an advertising copywriter upon returning to the U.S. in 1944. After a divorce in 1945, he remarried twice, with his third wife, Marion McGahan, with whom he had four children. Sturgeon published his first novel, The Dreaming Jewels, in 1950.

He achieved notable success with his novel More Than Human in 1953, earning the 1954 International Fantasy Award. Sturgeon also contributed to television, writing scripts for Star Trek: The Original Series, where he created iconic elements like the Vulcan mating ritual and the phrase "Live long and prosper." His influence extended to contemporary literature, inspiring Kurt Vonnegut’s fictional character Kilgore Trout.

Sturgeon's literary achievements include 11 novels, over 120 short stories, and approximately 400 reviews. He was the recipient of the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the International Fantasy Award. He was posthumously honored with a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2000.

Sturgeon passed away in May 1985 from lung fibrosis in Eugene, Oregon.