"John Trinian" was born October 21, 1933 in Salinas, California. He and his brother, artist Kenn Davis, spent much of their childhood with neighbor John Steinbeck, and eventually hung out in San Francisco with the Beat writers in the 1950s. Though not his birth name, "Trinian" adopted the name Zekial Marko as his preferred name, and went on to write many TV scripts as Marko, including The Rockford Files, Kolchak the Night Stalker, Mission: Impossible and Toma, which he also helped create. His seven published novels were all written as by "John Trinian" though one title,Once a Thief, was also published under the Marko name, both as a book and screenplay. Described as a troubled soul, Marko could also be brilliant and charming, and a powerful friend. He died of complications related to emphysema on May 9, 2008, in Centralia, Washington.