Gore Vidal was born Eugene Louis Vidal in 1925 in West Point, New York, to Nina (Gore) and West Point aeronautics instructor and aviation pioneer Eugene Luther Vidal. The Vidals endured a rocky marriage divorcingten years after Gore's birth. Young Gore spent much of his childhoodwith his blind grandfather, Senator T.P. Gore of Oklahoma. Vidal would later become theconfidant ofJacqueline Kennedy Onassis whenJackie's mother married his former stepfather, Hugh D. Auchincloss.After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1943, Gore joined theUS Army Reserves. Some of his Army experiences inspired his firstnovel, Williwaw, which was published when he was just 19. He dedicatedthe novel to J.T., a deceased prep-school friend. Subsequent novelswould prominently feature gay male characters, and Gore found soonfound his books had staying power on bestseller lists. In 1960, heunsuccessfully ran for Congress, backed by celebrity supporters likePaul Newman & Vidal's ex-fiancéJoanne Woodward. Anotherunsuccessful foray into politics would occur in 1982 when he ran forgovernor of California. In addition to being an accomplished writer, heis also a novice actor. His biggest roles to date have been inGattaca (1997),Bob Roberts (1992), andKitto wasurenai (1994).