Worked as a golf caddy at Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles

Began writing first novel, Brown’s Requiem (published in 1981)

Published second novel, Clandestine, which is centered around his mother's thinly-disguised murder

Published the first of three Lloyd Hopkins novels, Blood on the Moon; first book by Ellroy to be published in hardcover in the U.S.

Published Killer on the Road (formerly Silent Terror), a first-person narration by a serial killer

Published the international best-seller, The Black Dahlia (Ellroy financed the promotional tour)

Optioned the film right for Blood on the Moon, which was renamed “Cop” and starred James Woods as Lloyd Hopkins

Published L.A. Confidential, the third volume in Ellroy's “L.A. Quartet”

Published the nonfiction book, “My Dark Places,” centered around his investigation of his mother's unsolved 1950s-era murder

Director Curtis Hanson adapted the best-selling novel, L.A. Confidential into an award-winning film starring Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Kevin Spacey

Wrote a collection of GQ articles titled, “Crime Wave: Reportage and Fiction from the Underside of L.A.”

Brown’s Requiem, Ellroy’s first novel was adapted into a feature

Published the second installment of the Underworld USA trilogy, The Cold Six Thousand, which picked up in the aftermath of the first Kennedy assassination

Released a collection of essays and short stories, Destination Morgue!

Brian De Palma adapted Ellroy’s novel, The Black Dahlia into a feature film, starring Josh Harnett and Aaron Eckhart