Who is Les Roberts

Les Roberts began his career as a contemporary American mystery novelist after twenty-four years in Hollywood, having written and/or produced more than 2500 half-hours of network and syndicated television. He was the first producer and head writer of The Hollywood Squares, and has written for The Lucy Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., among others.

In 1987 he won the very first "Best First Private Eye Novel Contest" for "An Infinite Number of Monkeys". Roberts also won the Cleveland Arts Prize for Literature and has been voted "Cleveland's Favorite Author" by Cleveland.com. He is past president of the Private Eye Writers of America and the regular mystery book critic for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He has been a professional actor, singer, businessman, teacher, and jazz musician.

Roberts is primarily seen as a regional writer. Though his Saxon series is set in Los Angeles, he is best known for his Milan Jacovich series (it's pronounced My-lan Yock-o-vitch) set in his adopted hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Jacovich, unlike many single, dashing private eyes of fiction, is a battered, Stroh's-drinking, polka-dancing Slovenian with a Serbian ex-wife and two sons that he sees every other Sunday. Jacovich's working-guy attitude has endeared him to many Cleveland readers.  from Wikipedia...

Pronunciation of Name: MY-lan YOCK-o-vitch.

Age and Looks: Mid-40s. (Originally, he was an MP in Vietnam. But as the series went on, that would have aged him too much, so the reference was phased out.) Milan is 6 feet 3 inches, 230 pounds. Hair is light brown and disappearing. Slavic cheekbones. (The caricature here is one artist's rendering of how Milan looks.)

Resemblance to Author: None

Name of Jacovich's Business: Milan Security.

Location of Business: On the west side of the Flats in a (nonexistent) building right next to what used to be Jim's Steak House.

Location of His Apartment: Cedar-Fairmount area, where, for the first six novels, he maintained his business as well. He can see the Mad Greek restaurant from his apartment window.

Marriage and children: Divorced from Lila Coso Jacovich, father to Milan Jr. and Stephen Louis

Education: St. Clair High School, Cleveland (fictional) and Kent State University.

Favorite Food: Klobasa (that's how Slovenians spell "kielbasa")

Beverage of Choice: Stroh's beer, no glass.

Favorite Bars: Nighttown in Cleveland Heights, the Velvet Tango Room in Cleveland, and Vuk's Tavern (fictional) on E. 55th Street and St. Clair Avenue.

Favorite Restaurants: Most of the restaurants in which he dined in the early books are now, sadly, closed. However, he's been to Giovanni's Ristorante in Beachwood, Johnny's Bar on Fulton and Jack's Deli in South Euclid several times.

Pet Peeves: Pittsburgh Steelers; being called "dude"

• The Chinese Fire Drill (2001)


• The Scent of Spiced Oranges & Other Stories (2002)


• We'll Always Have Cleveland:
  A Memoir of a Novelist and a City (2006)


• A Carol for Cleveland (1991)


• The Brave Little Costume Designer (1998) (A short story audio book)

Les Roberts was born and raised in Chicago, IL. He's best known in Cleveland for the creation of his Slovenian detective, Milan Jacovich. Les has completed 13 Jacovich mystery novels.

Les took a roundabout path to his final destination of Cleveland, OH, a place he calls his spiritual home. He began as an actor in Chicago and doing summer stock in Taos, NM. He then moved on to New York, where his writing began to overtake his acting career. He wrote for such classics as Candid Camera and The Jackie Gleason Show.

His next move was to Hollywood, CA - to "The Hollywood Squares", to be specific. Les was the first producer of this still-popular game show. During his 24 years in Hollywood, he wrote and/or produced more than 2500 half-hours of network and syndicated television, including "The Lucy Show", "The Andy Griffith Show", and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", to name just a few.

Les' introduction to Cleveland came when he was hired to create a lottery game show for Ohio. It ultimately became "Cash Explosion Double Play". He then created similar shows for Michigan and Illinois, but never forgot Cleveland. He moved here permanently in 1990 and says his years in Cleveland have been the best ever. He's several times been voted "Cleveland's Favorite Writer." He won the Cleveland Arts Prize for Literature in 1992 and the Sherwood Anderson Literary Award in 2003. He is past president of the Private Eye Writers of America and the American Crime Writers League. He is currently on the board of trustees of the Greater Cleveland Police Emerald Society, a group of great (mostly Irish) cops, and teaches at the Poets and Writers League of Greater Cleveland. He writes regular book reviews for Cleveland's Plain Dealer and articles for the Currents section of the Chagrin Valley Times. He's also written some pieces for the Washington Post Book World, Northern Ohio Live, and Cleveland Magazine.

He's been interviewed by every media source imaginable-newspapers, local and national radio (most recognized by Clevelanders when appearing on the Lanigan and Malone Show), television-and was profiled at ClevelandSeniors.com.

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