Jean-Claude Izzo (20 June 1945 – 26 January 2000) was a French poet, playwright, screenwriter, and novelist who achieved sudden fame in the mid-1990s with the publication of his three neo-noir crime novels Total Chaos, Chourmo, and Solea (widely known as the Marseilles Trilogy), featuring as protagonist ex-cop Fabio Montale, and set in the author's native city of Marseille.

[1] Jean-Claude Izzo was born on 20 June 1945 in Marseille, France.

He excelled in school and spent much of his time at his desk writing stories and poems.

But because of his "immigrant" status, he was forced into a technical school where he was taught how to operate a lathe.

He also actively campaigned on behalf of Pax Christi, a Catholic peace movement.