View source for Harlan Ellison

{{Short description|American writer (1934–2018)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Harlan Ellison
| image = Harlan Ellison at the LA Press Club (cropped).jpg
| caption = Ellison in 1986
| pseudonym = Cordwainer Bird, Nalrah Nosille, and 8 others<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~sparks/ellison.html |title=Harlan Ellison |last=Sparks |first=Elisa Kay |publisher=Clemson University English Department |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070415065440/http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~sparks/ellison.html |archive-date=April 15, 2007}}</ref><ref name=isfdb/>
| birth_name = Harlan Jay Ellison
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1934|05|27}}
| birth_place = [[Cleveland]], Ohio, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|06|28|1934|05|27|mf=y}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Author
* screenwriter
* essayist
}}
| period = 1949–2018<ref name=isfdb/>
| genre = [[Speculative fiction]], science fiction, fantasy, [[crime fiction]], [[mystery (fiction)|mystery]], horror, [[criticism|film and television criticism]]
| movement = [[New Wave (science fiction)|New Wave]]
| notableworks = ''[[Dangerous Visions]]'' (editor), ''[[A Boy and His Dog]]'', "[[I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream]]", "[["Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman|'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman]]", "[[The City on the Edge of Forever]]"
<!-- Infobox writer no longer supports the fields influences and influenced. See TALK
 -->| website = {{URL|harlanellison.com/home.htm}}
| spouse = {{unbulleted list
| {{marriage|Charlotte B. Stein|1956|1960|end=div}}
| {{marriage|Billie Joyce Sanders|1960|1963|end=div}}
| {{marriage|Loretta (Basham) Patrick|1966|1966|end=div}}
| {{marriage|Lori Horowitz|1976|1977|end=div {{circa|lk=on}}}}
| {{marriage|Susan Toth|1986|<!-- Omission per Template:Marriage instructions -->}}
}}
}}
'''Harlan Jay Ellison''' (May 27, 1934&nbsp;– June 28, 2018)<ref name="Locus062018" /> was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in [[New Wave science fiction|New Wave]] [[speculative fiction]]<ref name="locusobit">{{Cite web |url=http://locusmag.com/2018/06/harlan-ellison-1934-2018/ |title=Harlan Ellison (1934–2018) |date=June 28, 2018 |website=Locus Online |access-date=June 28, 2018 |archive-date=May 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512153248/http://locusmag.com/2018/06/harlan-ellison-1934-2018/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and for his outspoken, combative personality.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-harlan-ellison-20180628-story.html |title=Harlan Ellison dies at 84; acclaimed science fiction writer was known for combative style |last=McLellan |first=Dennis |date=June 28, 2018 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605010552/https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-harlan-ellison-20180628-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His published works include more than 1,700 short stories, [[novellas]], [[screenplays]], comic-book scripts, [[teleplay]]s, essays, and a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media.

Some of his best-known works include the 1967 ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' episode "[[The City on the Edge of Forever]]", which is regarded as one of the best episodes in the ''Star Trek'' franchise<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/6/29/17518928/harlan-ellison-star-trek-grudge-science-fiction-rip | title=Harlan Ellison wrote Star Trek's greatest episode. He hated it | date=June 29, 2018 }}</ref> (he subsequently wrote a book about the experience that includes his original teleplay), his ''[[A Boy and His Dog]]'' cycle (which was made into [[A Boy and His Dog (1975 film)|a film]]), and his short stories "[[I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream]]" (later adapted by Ellison into [[I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (video game)|a video game]]) and "[["Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman|'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman]]". He was also editor and [[anthologist]] for ''[[Dangerous Visions]]'' (1967) and ''[[Again, Dangerous Visions]]'' (1972). Ellison won numerous awards, including multiple [[Hugo Award|Hugos]], [[Nebula Award|Nebulas]], and [[Edgar Awards|Edgars]].

==Biography==
===Early life and career===
[[File:Amazing stories 195703.jpg|thumb|right|Ellison's 1957 novella "The Savage Swarm", cover-featured in ''[[Amazing Stories]]'', has never been included in an authorized collection or anthology.]]
[[File:Amazing stories 195706.jpg|thumb|right|A few months later, another Ellison novella, "The Steel Napoleon", also took the cover of ''Amazing''. It also remains uncollected.]] [[File:Fantastic 195705.jpg|thumb|right|Another uncollected Ellison novella, "Satan Is My Ally", was the cover story on the May 1957 issue of ''[[Fantastic Science Fiction]]''.]]
[[File:Fantastic 195711.jpg|thumb|right|Ellison wrote "The Wife Factory" for ''Fantastic'' under the [[Pen name#Collective names|house name]] "Clyde Mitchell". It appeared in the November 1957 issue.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?712313 | title=The Internet Speculative Fiction Database | access-date=June 29, 2024 }}</ref> The novella has never been republished.]]
[[File:Fantastic 195810.jpg|thumb|right|Ellison's "Suicide World", the cover story for the October 1958 ''Fantastic'', also remains uncollected.]]
[[File:Fantastic 195904.jpg|thumb|right|Ellison's "The Abnormals", the cover story for the April 1959 ''Fantastic'', appears in Ellison collections as "[[The Discarded]]".]]
Ellison was born to a [[Jewish]] family<ref>[https://www.jewishjournal.com/geekheeb/item/top_5_jewish_moments_in_trek_20090507/ ''Jewish Journal'': "Top 5 Jewish moments in 'Trek'" by Adam Wills] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009175458/http://www.jewishjournal.com/geekheeb/item/top_5_jewish_moments_in_trek_20090507 |date=October 9, 2016 }} May 7, 2009</ref> in [[Cleveland]], Ohio, on May 27, 1934, the son of Serita (née Rosenthal) and Louis Laverne Ellison, a dentist and jeweler.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Weil |first1=Ellen |title=Harlan Ellison: The Edge of Forever |last2=Wolfe |first2=Gary K. |publisher=Ohio State University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8142-0892-2 |location=Columbus, Ohio |page=23 |ref=Weil}}</ref><ref>*{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3nPYfqEbfrsC&q=Serita+Rosenthal+Louis+Laverne+Ellison&pg=PA889|title=Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, Volume 2|publisher=Wildside Press LLC|date=2010|isbn=9780941028783|access-date=November 11, 2020|archive-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605010603/https://books.google.com/books?id=3nPYfqEbfrsC&q=Serita+Rosenthal+Louis+Laverne+Ellison&pg=PA889|url-status=live}}</ref> His older sister Beverly was born in 1926. She died in 2010 without having spoken to him since their mother's funeral in 1976.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}} Some time after Beverly's birth, his family moved to [[Painesville, Ohio|Painesville]], Ohio, but returned to Cleveland in 1949, following his father's death. Ellison frequently ran away from home. In an interview with [[Tom Snyder]], he would later claim it was due to discrimination by his high school peers.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}} According to Ellison, by age 18 he had completed a series of odd jobs as a "tuna fisherman off the coast of [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], itinerant crop-picker down in New Orleans, hired gun for a wealthy neurotic, [[nitroglycerine]] truck driver in [[North Carolina]], [[wikt:short order|short-order]] cook, cab driver, [[lithographer]], book salesman, [[wikt:floor-walker|floorwalker]] in a department store, door-to-door brush salesman, and as a youngster, an actor in several productions at the [[Cleveland Play House]]".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ellison |first=Harlan |url=http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-mouthmustscream/bio.html |title=Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream": A Study Guide from Gale's "Short Stories for Students" |date=July 23, 2002 |publisher=The Gale Group |page=27 |access-date=January 4, 2007 |archive-date=October 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020113212/http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-mouthmustscream/bio.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=September 2025}} In 1947, a fan letter he wrote to ''[[Real Fact Comics]]'' became his first published writing.<ref name="OSPG">{{Cite book |last=Overstreet |first=Robert M. |title=Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 41st edition |title-link=Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide |date=2011–2012 |publisher=[[Gemstone Publishing]] |isbn=9781603601337 |location=[[Timonium, Maryland]] |page=808}}</ref>

Ellison attended [[Ohio State University]] for 18 months (1951–53) before being expelled for verbally abusing a creative writing professor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-06 |title=ELLISON, JAY, HARLAN {{!}} Encyclopedia of Cleveland History {{!}} Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/e/ellison-jay-harlan |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=case.edu |language=en}}</ref> Over the next 20 or so years he claimed to have sent the professor a copy of every story he published.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Levy |first=Michael |date=November 2002 |title=Books in Review, "Of Stories and the Man." |url=http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/birs/bir88.htm |journal=Science Fiction Studies |volume=29 |issue=Part 3 |access-date=January 4, 2007 |archive-date=January 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113223223/http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/birs/bir88.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ellison published two [[Serial (literature)|serialized]] stories in the ''[[Cleveland News]]'' during 1949,<ref name=isfdb /> and he sold a story to [[EC Comics]] early in the 1950s. During this period, Ellison was an active member of [[science fiction fandom]]. He published his own [[science fiction fanzines]], such as ''Dimensions,'' which had previously been the ''Bulletin of the Cleveland Science Fantasy Society'' and later ''Science Fantasy Bulletin''.<ref>''Dimensions'' issue #14 (May–July 1954)</ref> Ellison moved to New York City in 1955 and lived with [[Robert Silverberg]] as they both pursued writing careers.<ref name=":0" /> Over the next two years, he published more than 100 short stories and articles. The short stories collected as ''Sex Gang'' — which Ellison described in a 2012 interview as "mainstream [[erotica]]"—date from this period.<ref name="larecord">{{Cite web|url=https://larecord.com/interviews/2012/09/24/harlan-ellison-everything-is-awful|title=HARLAN ELLISON: EVERYTHING IS AWFUL|access-date=February 13, 2021|archive-date=February 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211220627/https://larecord.com/interviews/2012/09/24/harlan-ellison-everything-is-awful|url-status=live}}</ref>

He served in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] from 1957 to 1959.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harlan-Ellison|title=Harlan Ellison &#124; Biography, Books, TV Shows, & Facts|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=August 17, 2017|archive-date=April 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403190321/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harlan-Ellison|url-status=live}}</ref> His first novel, ''[[Web of the City]]'', was published during his military service in 1958, and he said that he had written the bulk of it while undergoing basic training at [[Fort Benning, Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ellison |first=Harlan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H2G_BgAAQBAJ |title=Web of the City |date=2013 |publisher=Titan Books |isbn=9781781164211 |page=iv |access-date=August 19, 2019 |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803081834/https://books.google.com/books?id=H2G_BgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> He served in the Public Information Office at [[Fort Knox]], Kentucky, where he wrote articles and reviews for the post's weekly newspaper.<ref name=":0">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/29/harlan-ellison-obituary | title=Harlan Ellison obituary | newspaper=The Guardian | date=June 29, 2018 | last1=Holland | first1=Steve }}</ref>

After leaving the army, he relocated to Chicago, where he edited ''[[Rogue (magazine)|Rogue]]'' magazine.<ref name="Locus062018">{{Cite web |url=https://locusmag.com/2018/06/harlan-ellison-1934-2018/ |title=Harlan Ellison (1934-2018) |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=June 28, 2018 |website=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]] |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-date=June 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628234128/http://locusmag.com/2018/06/harlan-ellison-1934-2018/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Hollywood and beyond===
[[File:Sfcon-ellison-talk-ddb.jpg|thumb|Ellison speaking at an SF convention, 2006]]
Ellison moved to California in 1962 and began selling his writing to Hollywood. Ellison sold scripts to many television shows: ''[[Burke's Law (1963 TV series)|Burke's Law]]'' (4 episodes), ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]],'' ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]'',<ref name="TheFuturist">Keegan, Rebecca (October 5, 2010). ''The Futurist: The Life and Times of James Cameron'', Three Rivers Press (Kindle location 885)</ref> ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'', ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'', ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' (2 episodes), ''[[Cimarron Strip]]'' and ''[[The Flying Nun]]''.

Ellison's screenplay for the ''Star Trek'' episode "[[The City on the Edge of Forever]]" is often considered the best of the 79 episodes in the series.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.startrek.com/article/original-city-on-the-edge-of-forever-teleplay-set-for-miniseries |title=Original "City on the Edge of Forever" Teleplay Set for Miniseries |last=Staff writers |date=March 6, 2014 |website=StarTrek.com |access-date=June 29, 2018 |quote=Harlan Ellison wrote what is widely considered the best episode ever of ''Star Trek: The Original Series''. |archive-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629211647/http://www.startrek.com/article/original-city-on-the-edge-of-forever-teleplay-set-for-miniseries |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kirk |first=John |date=July 2, 2018 |title=Star Trek Comic Collaborators Remember Harlan Ellison |url=https://blog.trekcore.com/2018/07/star-trek-comic-collaborators-remember-harlan-ellison/ |access-date=October 9, 2024 |website=TrekCore.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

He co-wrote the screenplay for ''[[The Oscar (film)|The Oscar]]'' (1966), starring [[Stephen Boyd]] and [[Tony Bennett]].

In 1965, he participated in the second and third [[Selma to Montgomery marches]], led by [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]<ref name="sduniontrib">{{Cite news |last=Salm |first=Arthur |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20050320-9999-1a20harlan.html |title=Dangerous visions |date=March 20, 2005 |work=[[San Diego Union-Tribune]] |access-date=September 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050331061227/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20050320-9999-1a20harlan.html |archive-date=March 31, 2005}}</ref>

In 1966, in an article that ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' magazine later named as the best magazine piece ever written, the journalist [[Gay Talese]] wrote a profile of [[Frank Sinatra]]. The article, entitled "[[Frank Sinatra Has a Cold]]", briefly describes a verbal clash between Sinatra and Ellison, in which the crooner took exception to Ellison's boots during a billiards game Ellison was playing with Omar Sharif, Leo Durocher and Peter Falk.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Frank Sinatra Has a Cold – Gay Talese – Best Profile of Sinatra |url=http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ1003-OCT_SINATRA_rev_ |magazine=Esquire |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=February 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070228234649/http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ1003-OCT_SINATRA_rev_ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ellison was hired as a writer for [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Studios]], but was fired on his first day after [[Roy O. Disney]] overheard him in the studio commissary joking about making a pornographic animated film featuring Disney characters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://harlanellison.com/iwrite/mostimp.htm|title=3. Labor Relations|last=Ellison|first=Harlan|year=1978|website=The 3 Most Important Things in Life|publisher=Kilamajaro Corporation|access-date=March 12, 2014|archive-date=January 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130194741/http://harlanellison.com/iwrite/mostimp.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/18/harlan-ellison-calls-saving-mr-banks-a-disney-fraud-in-video-rant/|title=Harlan Ellison calls 'Saving Mr. Banks' a Disney fraud in video rant|last=Ortega|first=Tony|date=December 18, 2013|website=The Raw Story|access-date=March 12, 2014|archive-date=December 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131223080251/http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/18/harlan-ellison-calls-saving-mr-banks-a-disney-fraud-in-video-rant/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Ellison continued to publish short fiction and nonfiction pieces in various publications, including some of his best known stories. "[["Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman|'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman]]" (1965) is a celebration of civil disobedience against repressive authority. "[[I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream]]" (1967) is a story where five humans are tormented by an all-knowing computer throughout eternity. The story was the basis of a 1995 [[I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (video game)|computer game]]; Ellison participated in the game's design and provided the voice of the god-computer AM.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/01/14/classic-gi-i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream.aspx|title=Classic GI: I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream|first=Jeff|last=Cork|magazine=Game Informer|access-date=June 29, 2018|archive-date=June 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629235737/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/01/14/classic-gi-i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Another story, "[[A Boy and His Dog]]", examines the nature of friendship and love in a violent, [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic science fiction|post-apocalyptic]] world and was made into the 1975 [[A Boy and His Dog (1975 film)|film of the same name]], starring [[Don Johnson]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://catalog.afi.com/Film/55518-A-BOY-AND-HIS-DOG?sid=2b5e56ce-720b-4fc3-9fde-efcbb65c8b06&sr=5.6351666&cp=1&pos=0 |title=AFI Catalog of Feature Films: A Boy and His Dog |website=AFI.com |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801123546/http://catalog.afi.com/Film/55518-A-BOY-AND-HIS-DOG?sid=2b5e56ce-720b-4fc3-9fde-efcbb65c8b06&sr=5.6351666&cp=1&pos=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1967, Ellison edited the ''[[Dangerous Visions]]'' collection, which attracted a "special citation at the 26th World SF Convention for editing 'the most significant and controversial SF book published in 1967.'" In his introduction [[Isaac Asimov]] described it as epitomising a "second revolution" in science fiction as "science receded and modern fictional techniques came to the fore." 

From 1968 to 1970, Ellison wrote a regular column on television for the ''[[Los Angeles Free Press]]''. Titled "The Glass Teat", Ellison's column examined television's impact on the politics and culture of the time, including its presentations of sex, politics, race, the Vietnam War, and violence. The essays were collected in two anthologies, ''[[The Glass Teat|The Glass Teat: Essays of Opinion on Television]]''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ellison |first1=Harlan |title=The Glass Teat |date=1983 |orig-date=1970 |publisher=Ace |isbn=9780441289882 }}</ref> followed by ''The Other Glass Teat''.

Ellison served as creative consultant to the [[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|1980s version]] of ''The Twilight Zone'' science fiction TV series and ''[[Babylon 5]]''. As a member of the [[Screen Actors Guild]] (SAG), he had voice-over credits for shows, including ''[[The Pirates of Dark Water]]'', ''[[Mother Goose and Grimm#Television show|Mother Goose and Grimm]]'', ''[[Space Cases]]'', ''[[Phantom 2040]]'', and ''Babylon 5'', and made an onscreen appearance in the ''Babylon 5'' episode "[[The Face of the Enemy (Babylon 5)|The Face of the Enemy".]]

A frequent guest on the Los Angeles science fiction/fantasy culture radio show ''[[Hour 25]],'' hosted by [[Mike Hodel]], Ellison took over as host when Hodel died. Ellison's tenure was from May 1986 to June 1987.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hour25online.com/Hour25_Welcome.html|title = Hour 25 - Welcome}}</ref>

Ellison's short story "The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore" (1992) was selected for inclusion in the 1993 edition of ''[[The Best American Short Stories]]''.<ref>Kennison, Katrina and Erdrich, Louise (editors), ''The Best American Short Stories 1993'', New York, 1993.</ref>

Ellison, as an audio actor/reader, was nominated for a [[Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children]]<ref>[http://www.lewiscarroll.org/2010/02/06/harlan-ellisons-reading-of-through-the-looking-glass-nominated-for-grammy/ "Harlan Ellison's reading of Through the Looking-Glass nominated for Grammy"]. ''Lewis Caroll Society''.</ref> twice and won several [[Audie Awards]].<ref>[http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/authors/harlan-ellison/ "Talking with Harlan Ellison"]. ''Audiofile Magazine''.</ref>

In 2014, Ellison made a guest appearance on the album ''Finding Love in Hell'' by the [[stoner rock]] band Leaving Babylon, reading his piece "The Silence" (originally published in ''[[Mind Fields]]'') as an introduction to the song "Dead to Me."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=862491530432253&set=pb.512974005384009.-2207520000.1405998586.&type=1&theater |title=Leaving Babylon – Leaving Babylon's Photos |publisher=Facebook |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308211645/https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=862491530432253&set=pb.512974005384009.-2207520000.1405998586.&type=1&theater |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ellison's official website, harlanellison.com, was launched in 1995 as a fan page;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://harlanellison.com/interview.htm |title=Webderland HE Interview |last=Wyatt |first=Rick |website=Ellison Webderland |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-date=March 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308110553/http://www.harlanellison.com/interview.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> for several years, Ellison was a regular poster in its discussion forum.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://harlanellison.com/heboard/unca.php |title=Harlan Ellison's Art Deco Dining Pavilion |website=Ellison Webderland |access-date=June 29, 2018 |quote="This is Harlan's little breakfast nook at Webderland. When he's not here, we chat about him and his work. When he is, we act like we're guests in his home." |archive-date=June 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628221723/http://harlanellison.com/heboard/unca.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ellison's voice is one of 80 used in the NPRmageddon podcast (which is unrelated to National Public Radio), which appeared after his death.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://laist.com/news/los-angeles-activities/why-the-creators-of-nprmageddons-dystopian-lost-angeles-see-reporters-as-heroic |title=The Thrill Of Being NPRmageddoned And Why The Podcast By The Same Name Is Exploring Dystopian 'Lost Angeles' |date=March 17, 2023 |access-date=January 19, 2025 |quote="Over the 10 episodes, you'll hear some 80 voices, several of them familiar. Showing how long it's been in the works, the show features the late actor Fred Willard, who died in 2020, and sci-fi author Harlan Ellison, who died in 2018." }}</ref>

===Personal life and death===
Ellison married five times; each relationship ended within a few years, except the last. His first wife was Charlotte Stein, whom he married in 1956. They divorced in 1960, and he later described the marriage as "four years of hell as sustained as the whine of a generator."<ref>''Gentleman Junkie'', 14</ref> Later that year he married Billie Joyce Sanders; they divorced in 1963. His 1966 marriage to Loretta Patrick lasted only seven weeks.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Weil |first1=Ellen |title=Harlan Ellison: The Edge of Forever |last2=Wolfe |first2=Gary K. |publisher=Ohio State University Press |year=2002 |page=44}}</ref> In 1976, he married Lori Horowitz. He was 41 and she was 19, and he later said of the marriage, "I was desperately in love with her, but it was a stupid marriage on my part." They were divorced after eight months.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McMurran |first=Kristen |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20092332,00.html |title=Harlan Ellison |date=December 2, 1985 |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |access-date=May 28, 2011 |archive-date=January 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110192214/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20092332,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He briefly had a relationship with actress [[Grace Lee Whitney]], allegedly ending it when he caught her smoking [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] in his house.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Whitney|first1=Grace Lee|last2=Denney|first2=Jim|pages=115–116|title=The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy|publisher=Quill Driver Books|edition=2|year=2007|isbn=978-1884956034}}</ref> He and Susan Toth married in 1986, and they remained together, living in [[Sherman Oaks]], until his death 32 years later. He referred to his home as "The Lost Aztec Temple of Mars". Susan died in August 2020, age 60.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.harlanellisonbooks.com/susan-ellison-1960-2020/ |title=Susan Ellison (1960–2020) |website=HarlanEllisonBooks.com |date=August 4, 2020 |access-date=August 8, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807031651/https://www.harlanellisonbooks.com/susan-ellison-1960-2020/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ellison was a longtime friend of actor [[Robert Culp]], who he had in mind when writing the script for ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]'' episode "[[Demon with a Glass Hand]]".<ref>Dan McGregor. "[https://ispy65.tripod.com/id68.htm Robert Culp: Building A Career in the Hollywood Jungle]." ''Starlog'', Feb. 1982</ref>

Ellison described himself as a [[Jewish atheism|Jewish atheist]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://medium.com/@damiengwalter/harlan-ellison-the-interview-e6f5d260fbc1 |title=Harlan Ellison : The Interview – Damien Walter – Medium |last=Harlan |first=Ellison |date=October 30, 2017 |website=Medium |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903073214/https://medium.com/@damiengwalter/harlan-ellison-the-interview-e6f5d260fbc1 |archive-date=September 3, 2019 |access-date=February 10, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/obituaries/harlan-ellison-intensely-prolific-science-fiction-writer-dies-at-84.html |title=Sandomir, R. (2018, June 29). Harlan Ellison Dies at 84; Prolific, Irascible (Science) Fiction Writer. Retrieved from |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 29, 2018 |access-date=February 14, 2019 |archive-date=May 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512113600/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/obituaries/harlan-ellison-intensely-prolific-science-fiction-writer-dies-at-84.html |url-status=live |last1=Sandomir |first1=Richard }}</ref>

In 1994, he had a heart attack and was hospitalized for quadruple [[coronary artery bypass surgery]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://harlanellison.com/buzz/bw175h.htm |title=Harlan Ellison Webderland: Sci-Fi Buzz Archive |website=harlanellison.com |access-date=January 23, 2016 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202033/http://www.harlanellison.com/buzz/bw175h.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> From 2010, he received treatment for [[Major depressive disorder|clinical depression]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/2013/08/25/harlan_ellison_life_to_me_is_a_great_ironic_joke/ |title=Harlan Ellison: "Life to me is a great ironic joke" |last=Barsotti |first=Mark |date=August 25, 2013 |website=Salon |access-date=January 23, 2016 |archive-date=December 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231153919/http://www.salon.com/2013/08/25/harlan_ellison_life_to_me_is_a_great_ironic_joke/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 2007, Ellison attended the Midwestern debut of the documentary about his life, ''[[Dreams with Sharp Teeth]]'', at the [[Cleveland Public Library]] in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. This would be Ellison's last public appearance in his hometown.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dawidziak |first=Mark |url=https://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2018/06/harlan_ellison_fiery_and_brilliant_writer_from_cleveland_dead_at_84.html |title=Harlan Ellison, fiery and brilliant writer from Cleveland, dead at 84 |date=June 28, 2018 |work=The Plain Dealer |access-date=June 29, 2018 |location=Cleveland, Ohio |archive-date=June 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628223142/https://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2018/06/harlan_ellison_fiery_and_brilliant_writer_from_cleveland_dead_at_84.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/back20070917.shtml |title=Tony's Online Tips |last=Isabella |first=Tony |date=September 17, 2007 |website=World Famous Comics |access-date=June 29, 2018 |quote=I have a busy social calendar in the remaining weeks of this month. On Friday, September 21, my dear friends Harlan and Susan Ellison will be in Cleveland for A Tribute to Harlan Ellison at the main library of the Cleveland Public Library: Join us in the Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium beginning with a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed with a Midwestern debut screening of Dreams With Sharp Teeth, a documentary on the writer and native Clevelander, Harlan Ellison. Screening will be followed by special guests with a special appearance by Harlan Ellison. |archive-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629211214/http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/back20070917.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 27, 2023 |title=Harlan Ellison in Cleveland, 2007 |url=https://ohiocenterforthebook.org/2023/05/27/harlan-ellison-in-cleveland-2007/ |access-date=September 11, 2024 |website=Ohio Center for the Book}}</ref>

On about October 10, 2014, Ellison had a stroke.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Melrose |first=Kevin |url=http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2014/10/harlan-ellison-recovering-in-hospital-following-stroke/ |title=Harlan Ellison recovering in hospital following stroke |date=October 14, 2014 |work=Comic Book Resources |access-date=October 14, 2014 |archive-date=October 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015024329/http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2014/10/harlan-ellison-recovering-in-hospital-following-stroke/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Although his speech and cognition were unimpaired, he suffered [[paralysis]] on his right side, for which he was expected to spend several weeks in physical therapy before being released from the hospital.<ref>*{{cite news|last=Kellogg|first=Carolyn|date=October 14, 2014|url=http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-harlan-ellison-stroke-20141014-story.html|title=Harlan Ellison in the hospital recovering from a stroke|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=November 13, 2014|archive-date=November 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102235433/http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-harlan-ellison-stroke-20141014-story.html|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Kaye|first=Don|date=October 13, 2014|url=http://www.blastr.com/2014-10-13/sci-fi-legend-harlan-ellison-recovering-stroke|title=Sci-fi legend Harlan Ellison recovering from stroke|work=[[Blastr]]|access-date=November 13, 2014|archive-date=November 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113061230/http://www.blastr.com/2014-10-13/sci-fi-legend-harlan-ellison-recovering-stroke|url-status=live}}</ref>

Ellison died in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles on the morning of June 28, 2018.<ref>*{{Cite news|url=http://locusmag.com/2018/06/harlan-ellison-1934-2018/|title=Harlan Ellison (1934–2018)|date=June 28, 2018|work=[[Locus Online]]|access-date=June 28, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=May 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512153248/http://locusmag.com/2018/06/harlan-ellison-1934-2018/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/06/28/us/ap-us-obit-harlan-ellison.html|title=Harlan Ellison, Science Fiction Master, Dies at Age 84|agency=Associated Press|date=June 28, 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=June 28, 2018|archive-date=June 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629022016/https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/06/28/us/ap-us-obit-harlan-ellison.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="LAO">{{Cite news |last=McLellan |first=Dennis |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-harlan-ellison-20180628-story.html |title=Harlan Ellison dies at 84; acclaimed science fiction writer was known for combative style |date=June 28, 2018 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=June 28, 2018 |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605010552/https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-harlan-ellison-20180628-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His [[literary estate]] is currently executed by ''[[Babylon 5]]'' creator [[J. Michael Straczynski]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.patreon.com/syntheticworlds|title=J. Michael Straczynski is creating Movies, TV series, Videos and Audio dramas via Synthetic Worlds|website=Patreon|access-date=May 15, 2021|archive-date=April 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424211105/https://www.patreon.com/syntheticworlds|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Pseudonyms==
{{anchor|Cordwainer Bird}}
Ellison on occasion used the pseudonym '''Cordwainer Bird''' to alert members of the public to situations in which he felt his creative contribution to a project had been mangled by others, beyond repair, typically Hollywood producers or studios (see also [[Alan Smithee]]). The first such work to which he signed the name was "The Price of Doom", an episode of ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)|Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]'' (though it was misspelled as Cord Wainer Bird in the credits).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vinciguerra |first=Thomas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/arts/television/20vinc.html |title=Never Silent, Not Very Deep |date=August 20, 2006 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-date=April 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417004644/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/arts/television/20vinc.html |url-status=live }}</ref> An episode of ''Burke's Law'' ("Who Killed Alex Debbs?") credited to Ellison contains a ''character'' given this name, played by [[Sammy Davis Jr.]]<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Who Killed Alex Debbs? |series=Burke's Law |url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0533832/?ref_=m_ttfc_tt |date=October 25, 1963 |access-date=March 1, 2021 |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605010645/https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0533832/?ref_=m_ttfc_tt |url-status=live }}</ref>

The "Cordwainer Bird" moniker is a tribute to fellow science fiction writer Paul M. A. Linebarger, better known by his pen name, [[Cordwainer Smith]]. The origin of the word "[[cordwainer]]" is ''shoemaker'' (from working with [[shell cordovan]] leather for shoes). The term used by Linebarger was meant to imply the industriousness of the [[pulp magazine|pulp]] author.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} Ellison said, in interviews and in his writing, that his version of the pseudonym was meant to mean "a shoemaker for birds". Since he used the pseudonym mainly for works from which he wanted to distance himself, it may be understood to mean that "this work is for the birds" or that it is of as much use as shoes to a bird. [[Stephen King]] once said he thought that it meant that Ellison was giving people who mangled his work a literary version of "[[Finger (gesture)|the bird]]" (given credence by Ellison himself in his own essay titled "Somehow, I Don't Think We're in Kansas, Toto", describing his experience with the ''[[Starlost]]'' television series).<ref name="Essential">Ellison, Harlan [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Ellison-35-Year-Retrospective/dp/0962344737 "The Essential Ellison: A 35-Year Retrospective"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630000134/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Ellison-35-Year-Retrospective/dp/0962344737 |date=June 30, 2018 }} ({{ISBN|0962344737}})</ref>

The Bird moniker became a character in one of Ellison's own stories. In his 1978 book ''[[Strange Wine]]'', Ellison explains the origins of the Bird and goes on to state that [[Philip José Farmer]] wrote Cordwainer into the [[Wold Newton family]] that the latter writer had developed. The thought of such a whimsical object lesson being related to such lights as Doc Savage, The Shadow, Tarzan, and all the other pulp heroes prompted Ellison to play with the concept, resulting in "The New York Review of Bird", in which an annoyed Bird uncovers the darker secrets of the New York literary establishment before beginning a pulpish slaughter of the same.<ref name="Strange">Ellison, Harlan [https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Wine-Fifteen-stories-nightside/dp/0060111135 "Strange Wine"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726233434/https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Wine-Fifteen-stories-nightside/dp/0060111135 |date=July 26, 2018 }} ({{ISBN|0060111135}})</ref>

Other pseudonyms Ellison used during his career include Jay Charby, Sley Harson, Ellis Hart, John Magnus, Paul Merchant, Pat Roeder, Ivar Jorgenson, Derry Tiger, Harlan Ellis and Jay Solo.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.philsp.com/homeville/fmi/s968.htm#A30232 |title=Stories, Listed by Author |publisher=Philsp.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903050655/http://www.philsp.com/homeville/fmi/s968.htm#A30232 |archive-date=September 3, 2012 |access-date=June 12, 2012}}</ref>

==Controversies and disputes==

===Temperament===
Ellison had a reputation for being abrasive and argumentative.{{efn|In his Introduction to "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream", [[Theodore Sturgeon]] describes Ellison as: "...a man on the move, and he is moving fast. He is, on these pages and everywhere else he goes, colorful, intrusive, ABRASIVE ... and one hell of a writer."<ref>{{cite book | last1=Ellison | first1=Harlan | last2=Sturgeon | first2=Theodore | title=I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream | publisher=Pyramid Books | publication-place=New York | year=1972 | oclc=317877184}}</ref>}} He generally agreed with this assessment, and a [[dust jacket]] from one of his books described him as "possibly the most contentious person on Earth." Ellison filed numerous grievances and attempted lawsuits; during a contract dispute with Signet/NAL Books over binding cigarette ads into one of his paperbacks, he sent them dozens of bricks [[postage due]], followed by a dead [[gopher]].<ref name="Rogers">{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=John |title=Harlan Ellison, science fiction master, dies at age 84 |url=https://www.times-standard.com/2018/06/28/harlan-ellison-science-fiction-master-dies-at-age-84/ |work=Times-Standard |agency=The Associated Press |date=June 28, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Criss">{{cite web |last1=Criss |first1=Robert |title=Neil Gaiman Confirms Harlan Ellison's 'Dead Gopher' Story Really Happened |url=https://www.cbr.com/neil-gaiman-confirms-harlan-ellisons-dead-gopher-story/ |website=CBR |access-date=March 7, 2023 |language=en |date=November 30, 2020}}</ref> In an October 2017 piece in [[Wired (magazine)|''Wired'']], Ellison was dubbed "Sci-Fi's Most Controversial Figure."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Adams |first1=John Joseph |last2=Kirtley |first2=David Barr |date=October 21, 2017 |title=Harlan Ellison Is Sci-Fi's Most Controversial Figure |url=https://www.wired.com/2017/10/geeks-guide-harlan-ellison/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=September 18, 2019 |archive-date=June 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614081307/https://www.wired.com/2017/10/geeks-guide-harlan-ellison/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to Ellison, his impending trip to Israel was cancelled by its sponsor, the [[US Information Agency]], after his irreverent comment on the Palestine-Israel situation to ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]''.<ref>{{cite web | title=Harlan Ellison's Solution for Palestine and Israel | website=[[YouTube]] | date=December 2, 2023 | url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P6gtHQGbXmM&t=26s&pp=ygUVSGFybGFuIGVsbGlzb24gaXNyYWVs }}</ref>

At [[Stephen King]]'s request, Ellison provided a description of himself and his writing in ''[[Danse Macabre (King book)|Danse Macabre]]'' (1981): "My work is foursquare for chaos. I spend my life personally, and my work professionally, keeping the soup boiling. [[wikt:gadfly|Gadfly]] is what they call you when you are no longer dangerous; I much prefer troublemaker, malcontent, desperado. I see myself as a combination of [[Zorro]] and [[Jiminy Cricket]]. My stories go out from here and raise hell. From time to time some denigrator or critic with umbrage will say of my work, 'He only wrote that to shock.' I smile and nod. Precisely."<ref>{{Cite news |last=King |first=Stephen |title=Chapter 9: Horror Fiction |work=Danse Macabre}}</ref>

====Health issues====

Ellison suffered health issues regularly through his life, including severe depression toward the end,<ref>[https://www.vulture.com/2013/07/harlan-ellison-isnt-dead-yet.html "Harlan Ellison Isn't Dead Yet"], Jaime Lowe 2013</ref> some of which he believed was [[Epstein Barr|Epstein-Barr virus]] and [[Chronic Fatigue Syndrome|chronic fatigue syndrome]], the latter two of which he believed he had had for 40-50 years.<ref name="cfs">J. Michael Straczynski 2024-09-10, [https://www.facebook.com/groups/4586629500/posts/10161513542804501/ Facebook]</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=June 2025|certain=yes|reason=This statement appears to be sourced from a Facebook comment. Per WP:USERG, Facebook is considered an unreliable source.}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shearthart |first1=James |title=Harlan Ellison FAQ |url=https://harlanellison.com/text/newsfaq.txt |access-date=8 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Interview with Harlan Ellison {{!}} Nightdive Studios |url=https://nightdivestudios.com/interview-harlan-ellison/ |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=nightdivestudios.com}}</ref> A few years before his death, [[J. Michael Straczynski|Straczynski]] convinced him to seek psychiatric diagnosis for the depression, resulting in a diagnosis and treatment of [[bipolar disorder]]; he commented, "Once you know he was bipolar, a lot of things that don't make sense suddenly make sense."<ref>[https://lamag.com/books/harlan-ellison-last-words-dangerous-visions-sci-fi-writer-posthumous-comeback "Harlan Ellison's Last Words: The Ambitious Plan for Sci-Fi Writer's Posthumous Comeback"], Steve Appleford 2024-03-29</ref> The treatment "had a salutary effect for a while, until the stroke hit".<ref name="cfs" /> Straczynski wrote a more detailed account of Ellison's struggles with mental illness, published in the posthumous ''Last Dangerous Visions''.<ref>"Ellison Exegesis", ''Last Dangerous Visions'' 2024</ref>

===''Star Trek''===
Ellison repeatedly criticized how ''Star Trek'' creator and producer [[Gene Roddenberry]] (and others) rewrote his original script for the 1967 episode "[[The City on the Edge of Forever]]". Despite his objections, Ellison kept his own name on the shooting script instead of using "Cordwainer Bird" to indicate displeasure ([[#Pseudonyms|see above]]).<ref>{{cite book|title = These Are the Voyages: TOS, Season One|page=514|first1= Marc |last1= Cushman|first2= Susan|last2= Osborn|date = 2013|isbn = 9780989238120|publisher = Jacobs/Brown Press}}</ref>

Ellison's original script was first published in the 1976 anthology ''Six Science Fiction Plays'', edited by [[Roger Elwood]].<ref name=isfdb-city1976 /> The aired version was adapted for the ''Star Trek'' [[Photo comics|Fotonovel]] series in 1977.<ref>{{cite book|first = Harlan|last = Ellison|title = The City on the Edge of Forever|publisher = [[Bantam Books]]|date = 1977|isbn = 0-553-11345-3}}.</ref><ref name=worldcat-city />

At the start of an interview with Ellison entitled "Encounter with an Ellison", Sandra Cawson was interrupted when she said "Mr Ellison", and was told to address him as "Harlan". The interviewee stated "Mr Ellison was my father. He died in 1949". Cawson described the interviewee's home as a "calculated fall down a rabbit hole" and the author himself as "outgoing, charming, hospitable". In the course of the interview Cawson was given a long explanation about the process of television in omitting "small touches" and "special scenes" in favour of "straight action sequences" which "diminished the value of the script"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cawson |first=Sandra |title=City on the edge of forever: Interview with an Ellison |publisher=Bantam |year=1977 |isbn=055311345-3 |location=United States and Canada |pages=2–3 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1995, Borderlands Press published ''The City on the Edge of Forever'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ellison |first=Harlan |title= The City on the Edge of Forever |year=1996 |isbn=1-880325-02-0|publisher = Borderlands Press}}</ref> with nearly 300 pages comprising an essay by Ellison, four versions of the teleplay, and eight "Afterwords" contributed by other parties. He greatly expanded the introduction for the paperback edition,<ref name="isfdb-city1996" /><ref name="LCC1996" /><ref>''Harlan Ellison's The City on the Edge of Forever'', [[White Wolf Publishing]], 1996; {{ISBN|1-56504-964-0}}.</ref> in which he explained what he called a "fatally inept" treatment.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2018/jun/29/harlan-ellison-where-to-start-reading |title=Harlan Ellison: where to start reading |date=June 29, 2018 |work=The Guardian |access-date=June 29, 2018 |quote=Ellison felt his story, which was aired in cut form, received a 'fatally inept' treatment. |archive-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629131049/https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2018/jun/29/harlan-ellison-where-to-start-reading |url-status=live }}</ref>

Both versions of the script won awards: Ellison's original script won the 1968 [[Writers Guild Award]] for best episodic drama in television,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://librarycatalog.wgfoundation.org/title/titleAwards.ashx?id=2484 |title=Writers Guild Foundation Library Catalog |publisher=wgfoundation.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003135818/http://librarycatalog.wgfoundation.org/title/titleAwards.ashx?id=2484 |archive-date=October 3, 2013 |access-date=June 1, 2013}}</ref> while the shooting script won the 1968 [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1968-hugo-awards/ |title=1968 Hugo Awards |website=thehugoawards.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507164606/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1968-hugo-awards/ |archive-date=May 7, 2011 |access-date=June 1, 2013}}</ref>

On March 13, 2009, Ellison sued [[CBS Paramount Television]], seeking payment of 25 percent of net receipts from merchandising, publishing, and other income from the episode since 1967; the suit also names the [[Writers Guild of America]] for allegedly failing to act on Ellison's behalf.<ref>{{Cite press release|title=Ellison Sues Star Trek|date=March 13, 2009|url=http://harlanellison.com/heboard/visitors/startrekpressrelease.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320113001/http://harlanellison.com/heboard/visitors/startrekpressrelease.html|access-date=March 15, 2009|archive-date=March 20, 2009}} (Wayback Machine)</ref> On October 23, 2009, ''Variety'' magazine reported that a settlement had been reached.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McNary |first=Dave |url=https://variety.com/2009/film/news/ellison-paramount-settle-lawsuit-1118010298/ |title=Ellison, Paramount settle lawsuit |date=October 23, 2009 |work=Variety |access-date=July 1, 2018 |language=en-US |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701111618/https://variety.com/2009/film/news/ellison-paramount-settle-lawsuit-1118010298/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Vietnam War opposition and AggieCon I===
Ellison was among those who in 1968 signed an anti-[[Vietnam War]] advertisement in ''Galaxy Science Fiction''.<ref name="Galaxy1968">{{Cite magazine |date=June 1968 |title=Paid Advertisement |magazine=Galaxy Science Fiction |pages=4–11}}</ref> In 1969, Ellison was Guest of Honor at [[Texas A&M University]]'s first science fiction convention, [[AggieCon]], where he reportedly<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://efanzines.com/SFSF/SFSF30.pdf |title=Science Fiction/San Francisco |date=September 30, 2006 |page=5 |access-date=August 16, 2008 |archive-date=August 30, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830033428/http://efanzines.com/SFSF/SFSF30.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> referred to the university's [[Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets|Corps of Cadets]] as "America's next generation of Nazis", inspired in part by the Vietnam War. Although the university was no longer solely a military school (from 1965), the student body was predominantly made up of cadet members. Between Ellison's anti-military remarks and a food fight that broke out in the ballroom of the hotel where the gathering was held (although, according to Ellison in 2000, the food fight actually started in a [[Denny's]] because the staff disappeared and they could not get their check), the school's administration almost refused to approve the science fiction convention the next year and no guest of honor was invited for the next two AggieCons. Ellison was subsequently invited back as Guest of Honor for AggieCon V (1974).<ref name="cepharch">{{cite web |url=https://findingaids.library.tamu.edu/index.php/cepheid-variable-aggiecon-collection |title=Cepheid Variable - AggieCon Collection |website=Texas A&M University Library |access-date=August 13, 2024 |quote="His visit was culminated by a meal function at the Ramada Inn, recalled by many for a 'food fight' among other things. Cepheid was dissolved as a club, in part due to issues with the hotel."}}</ref>

===''The Last Dangerous Visions''===
''[[The Last Dangerous Visions]]'' (TLDV), the third volume of Ellison's anthology series, was originally announced for publication in 1973,<ref name="deadloss" /> but not published until October 2024, six years after Ellison died.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Last Dangerous Visions Edited by Harlan Ellison (review) |magazine=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=July 25, 2024 |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9798212183796 |access-date=October 5, 2024}}</ref> Nearly 150 writers, many now also dead, had submitted works for the volume. In 1993, Ellison threatened to sue the [[New England Science Fiction Association]] (NESFA) for publishing "Himself in Anachron", a short story written by [[Cordwainer Smith]] and originally sold by his widow to Ellison for the anthology.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=November 1993 |title=ConFrancisco Continued |url=http://news.ansible.co.uk/a76.html#worldcon |journal=Ansible |volume=76 |issn=0265-9816 |access-date=March 11, 2006 |archive-date=February 13, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213023028/http://news.ansible.co.uk/a76.html#worldcon |url-status=live }}</ref> The NESFA later reached an amicable settlement after it was revealed that the story contract had expired, allowing them to legally acquire it for publication.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=December 1993 |title=Infinitely Improbable |url=http://news.ansible.co.uk/a77.html#he |journal=Ansible |volume=77 |issn=0265-9816 |access-date=March 11, 2006 |archive-date=February 13, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213023034/http://news.ansible.co.uk/a77.html#he |url-status=live }}</ref>

British science fiction author [[Christopher Priest (novelist)|Christopher Priest]] criticized Ellison's editorial practices in an article entitled "The Book on the Edge of Forever",<ref name="deadloss">{{Cite book |last=Priest |first=Christopher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XlAFAAAACAAJ |title=The book on the edge of forever: an enquiry into the non-appearance of Harlan Ellison's The last dangerous visions |publisher=Fantagraphics Books |year=1994 |isbn=978-1-56097-159-7 |location=Seattle, WA |oclc=34231805 |author-link=Christopher Priest (novelist) |access-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605010613/https://books.google.com/books?id=XlAFAAAACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> later expanded into a book. Priest documented a half-dozen unfulfilled promises by Ellison to publish ''TLDV'' within a year of the statement. Priest claims that he submitted a story at Ellison's request, which Ellison retained for several months until Priest withdrew the story and demanded that Ellison return the manuscript. Ellison was incensed by "The Book on the Edge of Forever" and, personally or by proxy, threatened Priest on numerous occasions after its publication.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ansible.co.uk/writing/cpriest.html |title=Christopher Priest interview (1995) |publisher=Ansible.co.uk |access-date=June 12, 2012 |archive-date=July 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716065215/http://www.ansible.co.uk/writing/cpriest.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2020, the executor of the Harlan Ellison estate, J. Michael Straczynski, announced on Patreon that he was proceeding with the final preparations for the publication of TLDV with the proceeds to go to the Harlan and Susan Ellison Trust. The book was expected to be published in April 2021, as significant publisher interest was expressed.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Straczynski|first=J. Michael|date=November 15, 2020|title=On Finishing The Last Dangerous Visions|url=https://www.patreon.com/posts/43848905|access-date=November 15, 2020|website=Patreon|archive-date=December 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216121638/https://www.patreon.com/posts/43848905|url-status=live}}</ref>

Christopher Priest was unimpressed, saying that Straczynski was "in the same sort of unenviable position as [[Donald Trump|Trump]]'s caddie", but as an experienced professional would possibly work something out. He added, "I kind of lost interest in all that years ago. Ellison clearly did too, along with everyone else. (Although I gather he went on with his magical thinking if anyone asked when he was going to deliver.) Many of the stories were withdrawn, because Ellison acted like a dick. Of the ones that remain, most of them are by writers who are now deceased, so the rights have expired and the estates would have to be traced. A lot of the writers have disowned their stories as juvenilia, or outdated, or simply because Ellison was acting like a dick."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Harlan Ellison's The Last Dangerous Visions may finally be published, after five-decade wait |last=Flood |first=Alison |newspaper=The Guardian |date=November 16, 2020 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/16/harlan-ellison-the-last-dangerous-visions-anthology-may-be-published |access-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116165436/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/16/harlan-ellison-the-last-dangerous-visions-anthology-may-be-published |url-status=live }}</ref>

Despite early hopes of a 2021 release for TLDV, 2021 came and went with no book. An October 2021 'progress report' from Straczynski revealed that the book was still in preparation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://file770.com/last-dangerous-visions-progress-report/|title = Last Dangerous Visions Progress Report|date = October 20, 2021}}</ref> On May 2, 2022, Straczynski announced that the book would be published in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/straczynski/status/1521237044294414337|title=NEWS: A deal to publish Harlan Ellison's THE LAST DANGEROUS VISIONS, as well as its predecessors, DANGEROUS VISIONS and AGAIN, DANGEROUS VISIONS has been struck with Blackstone Publishers via the Janklow & Nesbit Agency, and announced at the London Book Fair, slated for '23.|website=Twitter.com|access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref> On July 10, 2022, Straczynski announced on Twitter that ''The Last Dangerous Visions'' would be published on September 1, 2024, by Blackstone Publishers.<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=straczynski |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |date=July 10, 2022 | number= 1546273000307101699 |title=More news about Harlan Ellison's THE LAST DANGEROUS VISIONS. To build excitement for TLDV, Blackstone will be republishing the original DV on September 1 '23; AGAIN, DANGEROUS VISIONS will come out about six months later, culminating in the publication of TLDV on September 1 '24. |url=https://twitter.com/straczynski/status/1546273000307101699 |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref> The book was finally published on October 1, 2024, after half a century.

===''I, Robot''===
Shortly after the release of ''Star Wars'' (1977), [[Ben Roberts (screenwriter)|Ben Roberts]] contacted Ellison to develop a script based on [[Isaac Asimov]]'s ''[[I, Robot]]'' short story collection for [[Warner Bros.]]; Ellison and Asimov had been long-time friends<!-- Asimov didn't die until 1992, so what the heck is this about? -->, so Ellison may be presumed to have attached particular significance to the project. In a meeting with the Head of Production at Warner Bros., [[Robert Shapiro (filmmaker)|Robert Shapiro]], Ellison concluded that Shapiro was commenting on the script without having read it and accused him of having the "intellectual and cranial capacity of an artichoke". Shortly afterwards, Ellison was dropped from the project. Without Ellison, the film came to a dead end, because subsequent scripts were unsatisfactory to potential directors. After a change in studio heads, Warner allowed Ellison's script to be serialized in ''[[Asimov's Science Fiction]]'' magazine and published in book form.<ref>
From Harlan Ellison's introduction to ''I Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay'', {{ISBN|0-446-67062-6}}</ref> The 2004 film [[I, Robot (film)|''I, Robot'']], starring Will Smith, has no connection to Ellison's script.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.scifi-review.net/i-robot-the-illustrated-screenplay-by-harlan-ellison.html |title=I, Robot – The Illustrated Screenplay by Harlan Ellison |last=Stettin |website=The Science Fiction Review |date=August 3, 2012 |access-date=December 15, 2016 |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220172306/http://www.scifi-review.net/i-robot-the-illustrated-screenplay-by-harlan-ellison.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Allegations of assault on Charles Platt===
In 1985, Ellison allegedly publicly assaulted author, journalist and computer programmer [[Charles Platt (author)|Charles Platt]] at the Nebula Awards banquet.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://harlanellison.com/foe/bugfuck.txt |title=BUGFUCK! |last=Cusick |first=Richard |format=TXT |access-date=July 30, 2006 |archive-date=July 19, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719005834/http://harlanellison.com/foe/bugfuck.txt |url-status=live }}</ref> Platt did not pursue legal action against Ellison and the two men later signed a "non-aggression pact", promising never to discuss the incident again nor to have any contact with one another. Platt claims that Ellison often publicly boasted about the incident.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=December 1993 |title=The Ellison Appreciation Society |url=http://news.ansible.co.uk/a77.html#platt |journal=Ansible |volume=77 |issn=0265-9816 |access-date=March 11, 2006 |archive-date=February 13, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213023034/http://news.ansible.co.uk/a77.html#platt |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Support of Ed Kramer===
Ellison voiced strong support for [[Edward E. Kramer|Ed Kramer]], founder of [[Dragon Con]], after Kramer was accused of sexual abuse of children in 2000.<ref>"[https://www.atlantamagazine.com/great-reads/dragoncon-ed-kramer-child-molestation/ In the Shadows]" by Scott Henry, Atlanta Magazine, September 1, 2012.</ref> Ellison and others disputed the evidence against Kramer, and also alleged Kramer was being held in jail in violation of his right to a [[speedy trial]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.serversystems.net/free-ed/|title=Free Ed - Just let Ed Kramer go|publisher=[[National Center for Reason and Justice]]|year=2007|accessdate=August 28, 2013}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2025}}

When writer [[Nancy A. Collins]] spoke up against Kramer, Ellison led a long-standing feud against her before Kramer entered an [[Alford plea]] in 2013.<ref>"[https://bleedingcool.com/comics/edward-kramer-dragon-con-and-the-apologies-due-to-nancy-a-collins/ Edward Kramer, Dragon Con And The Apologies Due To Nancy A Collins]" by Rich Johnston, Bleeding Cool, Posted on December 3, 2013.</ref>

===2006 Hugo Awards ceremony===
Ellison was presented with a special committee award at the 2006 Hugo Awards ceremony. When Ellison got to the podium, presenter [[Connie Willis]] asked him "Are you going to be good?" When she asked the question a second time, Ellison put the microphone in his mouth, to the crowd's laughter. He then placed his hand on her breast during an embrace.<ref name="AdWeek">{{Cite news |url=http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/sci-fi-awards-show-marred-by-boorish-groping/3759 |title=Sci-Fi Awards Show Marred By Boorish Groping |date=August 30, 2006 |access-date=June 14, 2017 |archive-date=August 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820081211/http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/sci-fi-awards-show-marred-by-boorish-groping/3759 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxd1jFDXzsU |title=Hugo Awards&nbsp;– Harlan and Connie&nbsp;– 2006 |last=Larry Sanderson |date=July 9, 2011 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=June 14, 2017 |archive-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523194307/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxd1jFDXzsU |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thesmartset.com/article01271401/ |title=Don't Let Harlan Ellison Hear This |access-date=June 14, 2017 |archive-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522031441/http://thesmartset.com/article01271401 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ellison subsequently complained that Willis refused to acknowledge his apology.<ref name="AdWeek" />

===Lawsuit against Fantagraphics===
On September 20, 2006, Ellison sued comic book and magazine publisher [[Fantagraphics]], stating they had [[defamation|defamed]] him in their book ''Comics As Art (We Told You So)''.<ref>[[Tom Spurgeon|Spurgeon, Tom]], and Jacob Covey. ''Comics As Art: We Told You So''. Seattle, WA: [[Fantagraphics]], 2006. {{ISBN|978-1-56097-738-4}}</ref> The book recounts the history of Fantagraphics and discussed a lawsuit that resulted from a 1980 Ellison interview with Fantagraphics' industry news magazine, ''[[The Comics Journal]]''. In this interview Ellison referred to comic book writer [[Michael Fleisher]], calling him "bugfuck" and "derange-o". Fleisher lost his libel suit against Ellison and Fantagraphics on December 9, 1986.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.ansible.co.uk/c_platt.html |title=The Insanity Offense |access-date=March 1, 2007 |archive-date=April 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430052838/http://news.ansible.co.uk/c_platt.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ellison, after reading unpublished drafts of the book on Fantagraphics's website, believed that he had been defamed by several anecdotes related to this incident. He sued in the Superior Court for the State of California, in Santa Monica. Fantagraphics attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed. In their [[Motion (legal)|motion to dismiss]], Fantagraphics argued that the statements were both their personal opinions and generally believed to be true anecdotes. On February 12, 2007, the presiding judge ruled against Fantagraphics' anti-[[Strategic lawsuit against public participation|SLAPP]] motion for dismissal.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tcj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=413&Itemid=70 |title=Harlan Ellison sues Fantagraphics |access-date=March 1, 2007 |archive-date=January 19, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070119113846/http://www.tcj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=413&Itemid=70 |url-status=live }}</ref> On June 29, 2007, Ellison claimed that the litigation had been resolved<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/06/29/it-is-finished/ |title=IT IS FINISHED |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714062343/http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/06/29/it-is-finished/ |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |access-date=August 1, 2007 }}</ref> pending Fantagraphics' removal of all references to the case from their website.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://comicsbeat.com/feud-shoe-waiting-to-drop/ |title=Feud shoe waiting to drop |date=July 18, 2007 |access-date=January 13, 2014 |archive-date=January 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114010616/http://comicsbeat.com/feud-shoe-waiting-to-drop/ |url-status=live }}</ref> No money or apologies changed hands in the settlement as posted on August 17, 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/08/16/you-boys-play-nice-now/ |title=You Boys Play Nice Now |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715222130/http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/08/16/you-boys-play-nice-now/ |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |access-date=August 20, 2007 }}</ref>

===Copyright suits===
In a 1980 lawsuit against [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and [[Paramount Pictures]], Ellison and [[Ben Bova]] claimed that the TV series ''[[Future Cop (TV series)|Future Cop]]'' was based on their short story "Brillo", winning a $337,000 judgement.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jncRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6726%2C264576 |title=Two sci-fi writers given damages in copyright infringement lawsuit |work=Eugene Register-Guard |access-date=June 17, 2014 |agency=UPI |issue=May 1, 1980 |archive-date=April 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401221529/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jncRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6726%2C264576 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ellison alleged that [[James Cameron]]'s film ''[[The Terminator]]'' drew from material from an episode of the original ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|Outer Limits]]'' which Ellison had scripted, "[[Soldier (The Outer Limits)|Soldier]]" (1964). [[Hemdale Film Corporation|Hemdale]], the production company and the distributor [[Orion Pictures]], settled out of court for an undisclosed sum and added a credit to the film which acknowledged Ellison's work.<ref name="LATimes">{{Cite news |last=Marx |first=Andy |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-07-ca-2720-story.html |title=IT'S MINE: All Very Well and Good, but Don't Hassle the T-1000 |date=July 7, 1991 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-date=October 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012075349/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-07-07/entertainment/ca-2720_1_screen-credit |url-status=live }}</ref> Cameron objected to this acknowledgement and has since labeled Ellison's claim a "nuisance suit".<ref name=TheFuturist /> Some accounts of the settlement state that another ''Outer Limits'' episode written by Ellison, "[[Demon with a Glass Hand]]" (1964), was also claimed to have been plagiarized by the film, but Ellison stated that "''Terminator'' was not stolen from 'Demon with a Glass Hand', it was a ripoff of my OTHER ''Outer Limits'' script, 'Soldier'."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://harlanellison.com/heboard/archive/bull0108.htm |title=The Ellison Bulletin Board: Comments Archive&nbsp;— 07/31/01 to 08/27/01 |last=Ellison |first=Harlan |date=August 12, 2001 |website=harlanellison.com |publisher=Harlan Ellison |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180209160209/http://harlanellison.com/heboard/archive/bull0108.htm |archive-date=February 9, 2018 |access-date=February 9, 2018}}</ref>

In 1983, [[Marvel Comics]] released ''[[The Incredible Hulk (comic book)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' #286, entitled "Hero", written by [[Bill Mantlo]]. Three issues later, Marvel announced that Mantlo had adapted "Soldier" for use as a Hulk story, but that they had forgotten to credit Ellison until this was pointed out by readers. In actuality, then-Editor-in-Chief [[Jim Shooter]] signed off on the story, not having seen the ''Outer Limits'' episode it was based on and not realizing Mantlo copied it wholesale. The day the issue went on sale, he was contacted by an angry Ellison, who calmed down after Shooter admitted the error. Although he could have claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, Ellison requested only the same payment Mantlo had received for the story, proper credit as writer, and a lifetime subscription to everything Marvel published.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/hulk-harlan-ellison-soldier-credit/ |title=When Marvel 'Forgot' To Credit Harlan Ellison for a Comic |last=Cronan |first=Brian |date=June 29, 2018 |website=cbr.com |access-date=December 25, 2019 |archive-date=December 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225054117/https://www.cbr.com/hulk-harlan-ellison-soldier-credit/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 24, 2000, Ellison sued Stephen Robertson for posting four stories to the [[usenet newsgroup]] "alt.binaries.e-book" without authorization. The other defendants were [[AOL]] and RemarQ, an [[internet service provider]] who owned servers hosting the newsgroup. Ellison alleged they had failed to halt copyright infringement in accordance with the "Notice and Takedown Procedure" outlined in the 1998 [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]]. Robertson and RemarQ first settled with Ellison, and then AOL likewise settled with Ellison in June 2004, under conditions that were not made public. Since those settlements Ellison initiated legal action or takedown notices against more than 240 people who have allegedly distributed his writings on the Internet, saying, "If you put your hand in my pocket, you'll drag back six inches of bloody stump".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rich |first=Motoko |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/technology/internet/12digital.html |title=Print Books Are Target of Pirates on the Web |date=May 12, 2009 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 10, 2009 |archive-date=May 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512184016/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/technology/internet/12digital.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Works==
{{Main|Harlan Ellison bibliography}}

==Awards==
Ellison won eight [[Hugo Award]]s,<ref name="SFAWD Ellison">{{Cite web |url=http://www.sfadb.com/Harlan_Ellison_Titles |title=Harlan Ellison |website=Science Fiction Awards Database |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701083617/http://www.sfadb.com/Harlan_Ellison_Titles |url-status=live }}</ref> a shared award for the screenplay of ''A Boy and his Dog'' that he counted as "half a Hugo",<ref name="Harlan Ellison">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPncsoZoEvo | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/XPncsoZoEvo| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|title=Harlan Ellison's Watching 9 |date=May 25, 2014 |access-date=May 25, 2014 |work=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2008/01/1976-hugo-award-nominees.html |title=Dreaming About Other Worlds: 1976 Hugo Award Finalists |last=Pound |first=Aaron |date=September 6, 1976 |access-date=June 30, 2018 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701083602/http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2008/01/1976-hugo-award-nominees.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and two special awards from annual [[Worldcon|World SF Conventions]];<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" /> four [[Nebula Award]]s of the [[Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America]] (SFWA);<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" /> five [[Bram Stoker Award]]s of the [[Horror Writers Association]] (HWA);<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" /> two [[Edgar Award]]s of the [[Mystery Writers of America]];<ref name="Awards he.com">{{Cite web |url=http://harlanellison.com/awards.htm |title=Harlan Ellison's Awards |last=Wyatt |first=Rick |website=Ellison Webderland |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701001443/http://harlanellison.com/awards.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> two [[World Fantasy Award]]s from annual conventions;<ref name="Awards he.com" /> and two [[Georges Méliès]] fantasy film awards.<ref name="Awards he.com" /><ref name="tv">{{Cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/harlan-ellison/person/30560/trivia.html |title=Harlan Ellison Trivia |publisher=tv.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430205354/http://www.tv.com/harlan-ellison/person/30560/trivia.html |archive-date=April 30, 2011}}</ref><!-- does this ref support all? the other does not --> In 1987, Ellison was awarded the [[Inkpot Award]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot|title=Inkpot Award|date=December 6, 2012|website=Comic-Con International: San Diego|access-date=September 12, 2020|archive-date=January 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129155249/http://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot|url-status=live}}</ref>

In his 1981 book about the horror genre, ''[[Danse Macabre (King book)|Danse Macabre]]'', [[Stephen King]] reviewed Ellison's collection ''[[Strange Wine]]'' and considered it one of the best horror books published between 1950 and 1980.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cardin |first=Matt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w4I2DwAAQBAJ |title=Horror Literature through History: An Encyclopedia of the Stories that Speak to Our Deepest Fears |date=2017 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781440842023 |page=354 |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803022808/https://books.google.com/books?id=w4I2DwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ellison won the [[World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement]] in 1993.<ref name=SFAwards /> HWA gave him its [[Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement|Lifetime Achievement Award]] in 1996<ref name=HWA /> and the World Horror Convention named him Grand Master in 2000.<ref name=SFAwards /> He was awarded the Gallun Award for Lifetime Achievement in Science Fiction from I-CON in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iconsf.org/archive/icon22/award.htm |title=Awards and Honors: The Gallun Award |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=n.d. |website=iconsf.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312140524/http://www.iconsf.org/archive/icon22/award.htm |archive-date=March 12, 2016 |access-date=April 16, 2019}}</ref>

SFWA named him its 23rd [[SFWA Grand Master|Grand Master]] of fantasy and science fiction in 2006<ref name=SFWA /> and the [[EMP Museum#Science Fiction Hall of Fame|Science Fiction Hall of Fame]] inducted him in 2011.<ref name=sfhof2011 /> That year he also received the fourth J. Lloyd Eaton Lifetime Achievement Award in Science Fiction, presented by the UCR Libraries at the 2011 [[Eaton Award|Eaton SF Conference]], "Global Science Fiction".<ref name=eaton />

{{As of|2013}}, Ellison is the only three-time winner of the [[Nebula Award for Best Short Story]]. He won his other Nebula in the novella category.<ref name=SFAwards />

He was awarded the Silver Pen for Journalism by [[International PEN]], the international writers' union, in 1982.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Maher |first=John |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/Obituary/article/77396-harlan-ellison-dies-at-84.html |title=Harlan Ellison, Famously Difficult Sci-Fi Pioneer, Dies At 84 |date=June 29, 2018 |work=Publishers Weekly |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701083544/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/Obituary/article/77396-harlan-ellison-dies-at-84.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Awards he.com" /> In 1990, Ellison was honored by International PEN for continuing commitment to artistic freedom and the battle against censorship.<ref name="Awards he.com" /> In 1998, he was awarded the "Defender of Liberty" award by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.previewsworld.com/Article/215512-Harlan-Ellison-Passes-Away |title=Harlan Ellison Passes Away |work=Previews World |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701083431/https://www.previewsworld.com/Article/215512-Harlan-Ellison-Passes-Away |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 1998, the National Women's Committee of [[Brandeis University]] honored him with their 1998 Words, Wit, Wisdom award.<ref name="SFWA Ellison">{{Cite web |url=https://nebulas.sfwa.org/grand-masters/harlan-ellison/ |title=Harlan Ellison Named a Grand Master in 2005 |website=Nebula Awards |publisher=Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701083216/https://nebulas.sfwa.org/grand-masters/harlan-ellison/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ellison was named 2002's winner of the [[Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal]]'s "Distinguished Skeptic Award", in recognition of his contributions to science and critical thinking. Ellison was presented with the award at the Skeptics Convention in [[Burbank, California]], on June 22, 2002.<ref>"Ellison named Distinguished Skeptic" ''[[Comics Buyer's Guide]]'' #1478; March 15, 2002</ref>

In December 2009, Ellison was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]] in the category Best Spoken Word Album For Children for his reading of ''[[Through The Looking-Glass|Through the Looking-Glass And What Alice Found There]]'' for Blackstone Audio, Inc.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lewiscarroll.org/2010/02/06/harlan-ellisons-reading-of-through-the-looking-glass-nominated-for-grammy/ |title=Harlan Ellison's reading of ''Through the Looking-Glass'' nominated for Grammy |date=February 7, 2010 |publisher=Lewis Caroll Society |access-date=September 15, 2014 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103420/http://www.lewiscarroll.org/2010/02/06/harlan-ellisons-reading-of-through-the-looking-glass-nominated-for-grammy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

;Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films (USA)
* Golden Scroll (Best Writing – Career 1976)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html#writing |title=Past Saturn Awards |date=February 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209012608/http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html#writing |archive-date=February 9, 2010}}</ref>

;American Mystery Award
* "Soft Monkey" (best short story, 1988)<ref name="Awards he.com" />

;Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine Reader's Poll
* ''I, Robot'' screenplay (Special award, 1988)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />

;[[Audie Awards]]
* ''[[United States Senate inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic|The Titanic Disaster Hearings: The Official Transcript of the 1912 Senatorial Investigation]]'' (Best Multi-Voiced Presentation, 1999)<ref name="Awards he.com" />
* ''[[City of Darkness (1976 novel)|City of Darkness]]'' (Best Solo Narration, 1999)<ref name="Awards he.com" />
*''[[The Dybbuk]]'' (Audiobook Adapted from Another Medium, 2000)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.audiopub.org/2000-audies-award | title=2000 audie-awards | access-date=February 27, 2023 | archive-date=March 28, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328024049/https://www.audiopub.org/2000-audies-award | url-status=dead }}</ref>

;Best American Short Stories
* "The Man who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore" (included in [[The Best American Short Stories 1993|the 1993 anthology]])<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Harris-Fain |first=Darren |date=December 15, 2014 |title=A Fitting Tribute |url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/fitting-tribute/#! |magazine=[[Los Angeles Review of Books]] |access-date=June 30, 2018 |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801140706/https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/fitting-tribute/#! |url-status=live }}</ref>

;The Bradbury Award
*Given by the [[Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America]] in 2000 to Harlan Ellison and [[Yuri Rasovsky]] for the radio series [[2000X]].<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
;Bram Stoker Award
* ''The Essential Ellison'' (best collection, 1987)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[Harlan Ellison's Watching]]'' (best non-fiction, 1989 – tie)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''Mefisto in Onyx'' (best novella, 1993 – tie)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "Chatting With Anubis" (best short story, 1995)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* Lifetime Achievement Award, 1995<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://horror.org/past-award-nominees-winners/#1995 |title=1995 Bram Stoker Award Nominees & Winners |website=Horror Writers' Association |date=June 15, 2000 |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605010606/https://horror.org/2000/06/past-award-nominees-winners/#1995 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''[[I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream]]'' (best other media – audio, 1999)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://horror.org/past-award-nominees-winners/#1999 |title=1999 Bram Stoker Award Nominees & Winners |website=Horror Writers' Association |date=June 15, 2000 |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605010606/https://horror.org/2000/06/past-award-nominees-winners/#1999 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=SFAwards-drama />

;British Fantasy Award
* "[[Jeffty Is Five]]" (best short story, 1979)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />

;British Science Fiction Award
* ''[[Deathbird Stories]]'' (best collection, 1978)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />

;Deathrealm Award
* ''Chatting with Anubis'' (best short fiction, 1996)<ref name="Awards he.com" />

;Edgar Allan Poe Award
* "[[The Whimper of Whipped Dogs]]" (best short story, 1974)<ref name="Awards he.com" />
* "Soft Monkey" (best short story, 1988)<ref name="Awards he.com" />

;Georges Melies Award
*"[[Demon with a Glass Hand]]" (''The Outer Limits'') (Achievement in Science Fiction Television, 1972)<ref name="Awards he.com"/>
*"[[The City on the Edge of Forever]]" (''Star Trek'') (Achievement in Science Fiction Television, 1973)<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[Famous Monsters of Filmland]] |title=Annual Awards |date=May 1974 |issue=107 |page=45 |url=https://archive.org/details/famous-monsters-of-filmland-101-200/Famous%20Monsters%20of%20Filmland%20%28101-200%29/Famous%20Monsters%20of%20Filmland%20107%20%28scan%20by%20sprout-teachbug%20added%20pages%29%20S/ |access-date=October 24, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Awards he.com" />

;Hugo Award
* "[["Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman]]" (best short fiction, 1966)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "[[I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream]]" (best short story, 1968)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[The City on the Edge of Forever (TOS episode)|The City on the Edge of Forever]]'' (best dramatic presentation, 1968)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[Dangerous Visions]]'' (Worldcon special award, 1968)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "[[The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World (short story)|The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World]]" (best short story, 1969)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[Again, Dangerous Visions]]'' (Worldcon special award for excellence in anthologizing, 1972)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "[[The Deathbird]]" (best novelette, 1974)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "[[Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans|Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W]]" (best novelette, 1975)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[A Boy and His Dog]]'' (film – best dramatic presentation, 1976. The Hugo was originally given to [[L.Q. Jones]], the film's producer and screenwriter. After the ceremony, Ellison complained that as author of the original story upon which Jones's screenplay was based, he deserved to share in the award. No extra Hugo statuette was available, so to mollify Ellison, he received a Hugo base, which he called his "half Hugo".)<ref name="Harlan Ellison" /><ref name="auto" />
* "[[Jeffty Is Five]]" (best short story, 1978)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "[[Paladin of the Lost Hour]]" (best novelette, 1986)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />

;International Horror Guild Award
* 1994 Living Legend Award<ref name="Awards he.com" />

;Jupiter Award (Instructors of Science Fiction in Higher Education)
* "[[The Deathbird]]" (best short story, 1973)<ref name="Awards he.com" />
* "[[Jeffty Is Five]]" (best short story, 1977)<ref name="Awards he.com" />

;Locus Poll Award
* ''The Region Between'' (best short fiction, 1971)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''Basilisk'' (best short fiction, 1973)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[Again, Dangerous Visions]]'' (best anthology, 1973)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[The Deathbird]]'' (best short fiction, 1974)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans|Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W]]'' (best novelette, 1975)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "[[Croatoan (Ellison)|Croatoan]]" (best short story, 1976)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "[[Jeffty Is Five]]" (best short story, 1978)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" /> (best short story of all time, 1999 online poll)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/LocusAT1999.html |title=1999 Locus Poll |website=[[Locus Online]] |via=archive.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519034226/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/LocusAT1999.html |archive-date=May 19, 2009}}</ref>
* "Count the Clock that Tells the Time" (best short story, 1979)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "Djinn, No Chaser" (best novelette, 1983)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''Sleepless Nights in the Procrustean Bed'' (introduction) (best related non-fiction, 1985)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?Lc1985 |title=1985 Locus Poll Award |website=ISFDB |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701111704/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?Lc1985 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''[[Medea: Harlan's World]]'' (best anthology, 1986)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''Paladin of the Lost Hour'' (best novelette, 1986)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "With Virgil Oddum at the East Pole" (best short story, 1986)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[Angry Candy]]'' (best collection, 1989)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[The Function of Dream Sleep]]'' (best novelette, 1989)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "Eidolons" (best short story, 1989)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''Mefisto in Onyx'' (best novella, 1994)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[Slippage (book)|Slippage]]'' (best collection, 1998)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />

;Nebula Award<ref name=SFAwards />
* "[["Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman]]" (best short story, 1966)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* ''[[A Boy and His Dog]]'' (best novella, 1970)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* "[[Jeffty Is Five]]" (best short story, 1978)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* [[Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award|Grand Master Award]] (at [[Tempe, Arizona]], May 6, 2006)<ref name="SFWA Ellison" />
* "[[How Interesting: A Tiny Man]]" (best short story, tied with Kij Johnson/"Ponies" 2011)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />

;Prometheus Award
* "[["Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman]]" (2015 Hall of Fame Inductee)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />

;Writers Guild of America
* ''[[Demon with a Glass Hand]] / The Outer Limits'' (Best Original Teleplay, 1965)<ref name="Awards he.com" />
* ''[[The City on the Edge of Forever]] / Star Trek'' (Best Original Teleplay, 1967)<ref name="Awards he.com" />
* ''Phoenix Without Ashes / The Starlost'' (Best Written Dramatic Episode, 1974)<ref name="Awards he.com" />
* ''[[Paladin of the Lost Hour]] / The Twilight Zone'' (Best Anthology Episode/Single Program, 1987)<ref name="Awards he.com" />

;Writers Guild of Canada
* ''[[The Human Operators]] / The Outer Limits'' (2000)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000711/2000/1/ |title=IMDb ''Outer Limits'' entry |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818032140/https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000711/2000/1/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

;World Fantasy Award
* ''[[Angry Candy]]'' (Best Collection, 1989)<ref name="SFAWD Ellison" />
* Lifetime Achievement Award, 1993<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sfadb.com/World_Fantasy_Awards_1993 |title=World Fantasy Awards 1993 |website=Science Fiction Awards Database |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630112630/http://www.sfadb.com/World_Fantasy_Awards_1993 |url-status=live }}</ref>

;J. Lloyd Eaton Lifetime Achievement Award in Science Fiction
* 2011 recipient ([[Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy]], University of California–Riverside Libraries)<ref name=SFAwards /><ref name=eaton />

==Parodies and pastiches of Ellison==
In the 1970s, artist and cartoonist Gordon Carleton wrote and drew a scripted [[slideshow]] called "City on the Edge of Whatever", a spoof of "[[The City on the Edge of Forever]]". Occasionally performed at ''Star Trek'' conventions, it features an irate writer named "Arlan Hellison" who screams at his producers, "Art defilers! Script assassins!"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carleton |first=Gordon |title="City on the Edge of Whatever" Coloring Book |publisher=T'Kuhtian Press |year=1978}}</ref>

''[[Justice League of America]]'' #89 ("The Most Dangerous Dreams Of All") 1971, written by [[Mike Friedrich]], is centered around a character named Harlequin Ellis. The character is smitten with [[Black Canary]], and injects himself into Justice League adventures, taking on the role of different heroes in his attempts to woo her. Ellison himself had written several comic book scripts.

[[Ben Bova]]'s novel ''The Starcrossed'' (1975), a ''[[roman à clef]]'' about Bova and Ellison's experience on ''[[The Starlost]]'' TV series,<ref>[https://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/starlost_the SF Encyclopedia entry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214040115/http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/starlost_the |date=February 14, 2014 }} about The Starlost</ref> features a character, "Ron Gabriel", who is a pastiche of Ellison. Bova's novel is dedicated to Ellison's pseudonym "Cordwainer Bird", who was credited as series creator on ''The Starlost'' per Ellison's demand. In the novel, "Ron Gabriel" requires the fictional series producers to credit him under the pseudonym "[[Victor Frankenstein|Victor]] [[Lawrence Talbot]] [[Victor Frankenstein|Frankenstein]]".<ref>Ben Bova, [https://books.google.com/books?id=C1AgAQAAIAAJ&q=+%22victor+lawrence+talbot+frankenstein%22 Laugh Lines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508052942/https://books.google.com/books?id=C1AgAQAAIAAJ&q=+%22victor+lawrence+talbot+frankenstein%22 |date=May 8, 2016 }} ({{ISBN|1416555609}}) (collection containing The Starcrossed and some other works), p. 162.</ref>

In ''[[Murder at the ABA]]'' (1976) by Isaac Asimov, the protagonist, Darius Just, was based on Ellison, as stated by Asimov in footnotes to the book itself and in his autobiographical volume ''In Joy Still Felt''.

[[Robert Silverberg]] named a character in his first novel, ''[[Revolt on Alpha C]]'' (1955), for Ellison, who was Silverberg's neighbor in New York City at the time he was writing the book. This was confirmed in a special edition on the occasion of Silverberg's 35th year in the business.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.majipoor.com/work.php?id=940 |title=Revolt on Alpha C by Robert Silverberg |last=Davis |first=Jon |website=Majipoor.com: The Works of Robert Silverberg |access-date=April 17, 2016 |archive-date=May 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508145759/http://www.majipoor.com/work.php?id=940 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Sharyn McCrumb]]'s mystery novel ''[[Bimbos of the Death Sun]]'' (1987) features a cantankerous antagonist-turned-murder victim based on Ellison.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Weil |first1=Ellen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvaIuzLV41gC&pg=PA1 |title=Harlan Ellison: The Edge of Forever |last2=Wolfe |first2=Gary K. |date=2002 |publisher=Ohio State University Press |isbn=978-0-8142-0892-2 |pages=1 |language=en}}</ref> Fans of Ellison sent him copies of the book, and upon their meeting later that year at the [[Edgar Award]]s, Ellison told McCrumb he had read the book and thought it was good.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/sharynmccrumb/posts/10204871827432376 |title=Facebook |website=Facebook |language=en |access-date=June 28, 2018 |archive-date=March 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307234952/https://www.facebook.com/sharynmccrumb/posts/10204871827432376 |url-status=live }}</ref><!-- this page gives incorrect publisher "Cromwell" -->

Ellison is a recurring minor character in the animated television series ''[[Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated]]'' (2010–2013), voicing a fictionalized version of himself modeled on his appearance in the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Motes |first=Jax |url=http://sciencefiction.com/2018/06/28/controversial-science-fiction-writer-harlan-ellison-passes-away-84/ |title=Controversial Science Fiction Writer Harlan Ellison Passes Away At 84 |date=June 28, 2018 |work=Science Fiction |access-date=November 2, 2018 |language=en |quote=He appeared on 'Babylon 5' and provided voice work for a number of animated series. Most recently, he appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on two episodes of 'Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'. |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107033901/http://sciencefiction.com/2018/06/28/controversial-science-fiction-writer-harlan-ellison-passes-away-84/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://comicsalliance.com/best-scooby-doo/ |title='Mystery Incorporated' Is The Best Scooby-Doo Has Ever Been [Review] |last=Sims |first=Chris |website=ComicsAlliance |date=January 25, 2012 |access-date=April 18, 2019 |archive-date=April 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418013820/https://comicsalliance.com/best-scooby-doo/ |url-status=live }}</ref><!-- In the series, he is a professor of literature and a colleague of H. P. Hatecraft, a parody of [[H. P. Lovecraft]]. In his initial appearance ("The Shrieking Madness", 2010) he is a target for the episode's monster, but in the series finale ("Come Undone", 2013) he reveals that his writings in speculative fiction give him a unique understanding of alternate timelines and place him in the role of an advisor to the protagonists.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1660055/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast |title=Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (TV Series 2010–) cast and crew}}</ref> -->

Ellison appeared as himself in an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' ("[[Married to the Blob]]", 2014)<ref>*Melrose, Kevin (January 9, 2014). [https://www.cbr.com/watch-stan-lee-harlan-ellison-discuss-their-simpsons-cameos/ "Watch Stan Lee & Harlan Ellison discuss their 'Simpsons' cameos"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105123156/https://www.cbr.com/watch-stan-lee-harlan-ellison-discuss-their-simpsons-cameos/ |date=January 5, 2018 }}. [[CBR.com]].
*Nordyke, Kimberly (January 9, 2014). [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/simpsons-stan-lee-harlan-ellison-669603 "'Simpsons' First Look: Stan Lee, Harlan Ellison Get Animated"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106063541/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/simpsons-stan-lee-harlan-ellison-669603 |date=January 6, 2018 }}. ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''.</ref> in which he meets Bart and Milhouse, and parodies his contention that the film ''The Terminator'' used ideas from his stories.<ref name=TheFuturist /><ref name=LATimes />

==References==
===Informational notes===
{{notelist}}

===Citations===
<references>
<ref name="isfdb">{{Cite web |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?25 |title=Summary Bibliography: Harlan Ellison |website=isfdb.org |publisher=ISFDB |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209162429/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?25 |archive-date=February 9, 2018 |access-date=February 9, 2018}}</ref>

<!-- some awards refs --><ref name=SFAwards>
[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit44.html#1540 "Ellison, Harlan"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016202223/http://locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit44.html|date=October 16, 2012}}. ''The Locus Index to SF Awards: Index of Literary Nominees''. [[Locus Publications]]. Retrieved April 2, 2013.</ref><ref name=SFAwards-drama>
[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomDrama5.html#1540 "Ellison, Harlan"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016201832/http://locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomDrama5.html|date=October 16, 2012}}. ''The Locus Index to SF Awards: Index of Dramatic Nominees''. Locus Publications. Retrieved April 10, 2013.</ref>
<ref name=HWA>
[http://www.horror.org/laawd.htm "Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509115710/http://www.horror.org/laawd.htm|date=May 9, 2013}}. Horror Writers Association (HWA). Retrieved April 6, 2013.</ref><ref name=SFWA>
[http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/events-program/grandmaster/ "Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701114233/http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/events-program/grandmaster/|date=July 1, 2011}}. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Retrieved April 2, 2013.</ref><ref name=sfhof2011>
{{cite web|url=http://www.empmuseum.org/exhibitions/index.asp?categoryID=203|title=Science Fiction Hall of Fame|access-date=July 21, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721162138/http://www.empmuseum.org/exhibitions/index.asp?categoryID=203|archive-date=July 21, 2011}}. [Quote: "EMP is proud to announce the 2011 Hall of Fame inductees:&nbsp;..."]. May/June/July 2011. EMP Museum (''empmuseum.org''). Archived July 21, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2013.</ref><ref name=eaton><!-- past winners are not linked to past notices -->
[http://eatonconference.ucr.edu/awards.html "The Eaton Awards"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503151902/http://eatonconference.ucr.edu/awards.html |date=May 3, 2013 }}. Eaton Science Fiction Conference. [[University of California, Riverside]] (''ucr.edu''). Retrieved 2013-04-06.</ref>

<!-- some The City at the Edge of Forever refs --><ref name=isfdb-city1976>[http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?68196 "Bibliography: The City on the Edge of Forever"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317143358/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?68196 |date=March 17, 2017 }} (original 1966 version, published 1976). ISFDB. Retrieved April 8, 2013.</ref><ref name=worldcat-city>[http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=the+city+on+the+edge+of+forever+ellison&qt=results_page "Results for 'the city on the edge of forever ellison' (search)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225080457/https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=the+city+on+the+edge+of+forever+ellison&qt=results_page |date=February 25, 2021 }}. [[WorldCat]]. Retrieved April 8, 2013.</ref><ref name=isfdb-city1996>[http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?16377 "Publication Listing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317054922/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?16377 |date=March 17, 2017 }} (''Harlan Ellison's The City&nbsp;...''). ISFDB. Retrieved April 8, 2013.</ref><ref name=LCC1996>[https://lccn.loc.gov/2007270608 "Harlan Ellison's The city on the edge of forever: the original teleplay&nbsp;..."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605010557/https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchCode=LCCN&searchArg=2007270608&searchType=1&permalink=y |date=June 5, 2021 }}. Library of Congress Catalog Record. Retrieved April 8, 2013.</ref>
</references>

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Segaloff |first=Nat |editor-last=Grubbs |editor-first=David G. |year=2017 |title=A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison |url=https://www.nesfa.org/book/a-lit-fuse/ |location=Framingham, Mass. |publisher=NESFA Press |isbn=978-1-61037-322-7 |oclc=1001252558}} A small press biography of Ellison.
* {{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Bill |title=A Man and His Stories; The hard-boiled, hard-edged Harlan Ellison |url=https://thebulwark.com/a-man-and-his-stories/ |website=The Bulwark |access-date=June 5, 2021 |date=June 4, 2021}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{ISFDB name|25}} (ISFDB)
* {{gutenberg author|id=54230}}
* {{Librivox author |id=16745}}
* {{sfhof|1594|Harlan Ellison}}
* {{IBList|type=author|id=336|name=Harlan Ellison}}
* [http://www.harlanellison.com/ Ellison Webderland] Official website
* {{OL author}}
{{Memory Alpha}}
* {{IMDb name|0255196}}
* {{EmmyTVLegends name|harlan-ellison}}
* {{Muckrack}}
* {{Cite web |title=Ellison, Jay, Harlan (biography) |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/e/ellison-jay-harlan |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |date=December 6, 2020 |publisher=[[Case Western Reserve University]]}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me6oZ9xdewc Video of Harlan Ellison at Cleveland Public Library, September 21, 2007:] The author's last public appearance in his hometown, included extended remarks by [[Les Roberts (mystery novel writer)|Les Roberts]], [[Tony Isabella]], [[Mark Dawidziak]], and Ellison himself. [https://ohiocenterforthebook.org/2023/05/27/harlan-ellison-in-cleveland-2007/ For additional details on the 2007 event, see the Ohio Center for the Book article.]

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{{Harlan Ellison}}
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