Steve Lopez

Steven M. Lopez (born 1953) is an American journalist who has been a columnist for the Los Angeles Times since 2001.
Lopez attended San Jose State University. He has been on staff at Time Inc. and written for Time, Life, Entertainment Weekly and Sports Illustrated. In addition, he was on staff at the Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune.
Lopez's series of columns about his unlikely relationship with schizophrenic cello virtuoso Nathaniel Anthony Ayers inspired the film The Soloist, which stars Robert Downey Jr. as Lopez. Lopez has written a definitive film tie-in non-fiction work, The Soloist: A Lost Dream, An Unlikely Friendship, And The Redemptive Power of Music. Lopez has also written several novels. He was interviewed in the 2007 documentary Skid Row.
In 2008 he received the President's Award from the Los Angeles Press Club at the 50th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards.
In 2009 he will be speaking at the Montana State convocation for freshmen, which will be open to the public.