Oscar Fraley

Who was Oscar Fraley?

Oscar Fraley was the co-author, with Eliot Ness, of the famous American memoir The Untouchables. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Fraley grew up across the Delaware River in Woodbury, New Jersey.

He worked for United Press International as a sports reporter from 1940–1965 but still managed to write during his free time. Over the course of his lifetime, Fraley penned 31 books, including Hoffa, The Real Story. In 1956 he was introduced to Ness while working as a reporter for UPI. It was this encounter that served as the inspiration for The Untouchables. By 1957, Fraley had written most of the proofs for the manuscript of the book. Ness read these proofs shortly before his own death that same year.

The Untouchables went on to sell 1.5 million copies and served as the basis for the television series and movie of the same name.

Oscar Fraley died on Thursday, January 6, 1994 in Fort Lauderdale’s in Broward General Hospital. The cause was heart failure after surgery for a strangulated hernia.