Robert Graysmith is an American true crime author. He was working as a political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969 when the Zodiac Killer case came to light. Graysmith attempted to decode letters written by the killer and became obsessed with the case over the next thirteen years. His second marriage ended in divorce, which he directly attributes to his intense interest in the case. Graysmith wrote two books about the case, eventually giving up his career as a Pulitzer prize-nominated cartoonist to write five more books on high-profile crimes, one of which became the basis for the 2002 film, Auto Focus. The 2007 movie Zodiac, directed by David Fincher, was based on his books and featured Jake Gyllenhaal as Graysmith. Graysmith now lives in San Francisco. 

September 17th, 1942 in Pensacola (Age 82)