Ken Follett then surprised readers by radically changing course with The Pillars of the Earth, a novel about building a cathedral in the Middle Ages. This book was made into a miniseries with Richard Crenna as Ross Perot and Burt Lancaster as Colonel 'Bull' Simons. He also wrote On Wings of Eagles, the true story of how two employees of Ross Perot were rescued from Iran during the revolution of 1979. In 1994 Timothy Dalton, Omar Sharif, and Marg Helgenberger starred in the miniseries of Lie Down with Lions. Cliff Robertson and David Soul starred in the miniseries of The Key to Rebecca. He went on to write four more bestselling thrillers: Triple, The Key to Rebecca, The Man from St.

The book won the Edgar Award and became an outstanding film starring Kate Nelligan and Donald Sutherland. He first hit the charts in 1978 with Eye of the Needle, a taut and original thriller with a memorable woman character in the central role. 1 position on bestseller lists in the United States, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France.

His last book, World Without End, went straight to the No. He has sold more than one hundred million copies. Ken Follett is one of the world's best–loved novelists.