Michael Crichton, besides being a renowned author, graduated from Harvard Medical School as an M.D. in 1969. His books were mostly based therefore, on science or medicine.
Michael Crichton's first real hit was The Andromeda Strain, which was eventually turned into a movie. The novel involved the efforts of a team of scientists investigating a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism, returned to Earth via a satellite, that rapidly and fatally clots human blood.
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He has had several other books turned into movies, such as Sphere and Congo.
Michael Crichton's biggest hit, however, was Jurassic Park in 1990. The theme of that book (for the few who don't know) was a scientific community using DNA of dinosaurs taken from insects that bit them to re-create dinosaurs. Naturally, things we bad, and a few people ended up as dinosaur food.
This and the follow up novel, The Lost World, were blockbuster hits both in book sales and in box office.
Michael Crichton was also the creator and executive producer of the television drama ER, now in its final season.
In recent years, Michael Crichton became a high-profile global warming doubter. While the majority of scientists appeared convinced of the problem, Crichton espoused his doubts.
Al Gore made a point of this in a speech on March 21, 2007 before a US House committee: "The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor [...] if your doctor tells you you need to intervene here, you don't say 'Well, I read a science fiction novel that tells me it's not a problem.'"
