- Did not graduate high school because he refused to take his graduation exams.
- He married Charlene Broock in September 1978. In his 1979 novel "The Short-Timers", Leonard ("Private Pyle") names his M-14 rifle "Charlene".
- Died alone, living in a cheap motel on the island of Aegina in Greece.
- His sequel to "The Short-Timers" (1979), "The Phantom Blooper", was published in 1990. Though his two war novels, particularly his first, are considered classics of Vietnam War-era fiction, neither book currently is in print.
- Won an Academy Award nomination (along with co-screenwriters Michael Herr and Stanley Kubrick ) for the only produced screenplay he ever wrote.
- Maintained lifelong friendships with his fellow combat correspondents of the First Marine Division, the self-proclaimed "Snuffies."
- As a struggling writer, he associated with various 1970s science fiction writers, and roomed with Harlan Ellison for a time.
- He collaborated with Stanley Kubrick for three years on the screenplay for Full Metal Jacket (1987), which is based on his 1979 novel "The Short-Timers." Hasford met Kubrick in person only once, and during dinner, Kubrick said to co-screenwriter Michael Herr "I can't deal with this man.".
- A voracious reader and bibliophile, he was sentenced to six months in jail in 1988 for stealing 748 books from nine libraries throughout the country.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content