This is Sidney Sheldon, real name Sidney Schechtel. Jew, of course. Best known for creating oldie TV hits "The Patty Duke Show", "I Dream of Jeannie", and "Hart to Hart". Not exactly a household name, to say the least.

Except that... in many households, he is. Sheldon's work goes beyond those sitcoms. Somehow, he is one of the world's best-selling authors of all time. His book sales are estimated somewhere between 400 and 600 million copies. So we're willing to bet a few of you just might have a Sheldon book... even if you don't know it.

Sheldon has been called the "king of pulp fiction" (no, not the Tarantino variety). His murderous page turners had sold like hotcakes (well, better, who actually buys hotcakes?) for the past 50 years, not only in America, but throughout the world. They have been translated in over 50 languages.

Oh, and Sheldon also won an Oscar for the screenplay to "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer". Not exactly a household name, we'll give you that.