Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (1868-1927) was born in Paris. He lived a lavish life as he inherited millions and spent them until he was close to bankruptcy. Afterward, he became a court journalist and theatre critic at L' È cho de Paris. In 1907, he started writing fiction, and in 1909 he established his own movie company in collaboration with Arthur BernÈ de to publish novels and turn them into movies. His best-known works are The Phantom of the Opera and The Mystery of the Yellow Room.