Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH (2 October 1904 ? 3 April 1991) was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world. Greene was notable for his ability to combine serious literary acclaim with widespread popularity. Several works such as The Confidential Agent, The Third Man, The Quiet American, Our Man in Havana and The Human Factor also show an avid interest in the workings of international politics and espionage.

Greene was one of the most "cinematic" of twentieth century writers; most of his novels and many of his plays and short stories would eventually be adapted for film or television.[15] The Internet Movie Database lists 66 titles based on Greene material between 1934 and 2010.

In 1949, after writing the novella as "raw material", he wrote the screenplay for the classic film noir, The Third Man, featuring Orson Welles.

The film Third Man won the 1949 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival,[32] the British Academy Award for Best Film, and an Academy Award for Best Black and White Cinematography in 1950. In 1999 the British Film Institute selected The Third Man as the best British film of the 20th century; five years later, the magazine Total Film ranked it fourth. The film also placed 57th on the American Film Institute's list of top American films in 1998, though the film's only American connection was its executive co-producer, David O. Selznick. (The other two, Sir Alexander Korda and Carol Reed, were of Hungarian and British origin respectively.) In June 2008, the AFI revealed its "10 Top 10"?the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres?after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. The Third Man was acknowledged as the fifth best film in the mystery genre.[33] In 2005, viewers of BBC Television's Newsnight Review voted the film their fourth favourite of all time; it was the only film in the top five made prior to 1970. The "American Film Institute" chose the film in the following categories: