Anton Myrer, whose best-selling novels "Once an Eagle " and "The Last Convertible" were adapted as TV miniseries, died of leukemia Friday in his home in Saugerties, N.Y. He was 73.
"The Last Convertible" was Myrer's fictionalized account of his undergraduate days at Harvard University, which were interrupted by World War II.In "Once an Eagle" he followed the U.S. military through three wars and drew on his experiences as a Marine during World War II, when he was wounded during the invasion of Guam.
Born in Worcester, Mass., he graduated from Boston Latin School and Harvard College.
His early novels include "Evil Under the Sun," "The Violent Shore," "The Intruder" and "The Big War," which was made into the movie "In Love and War" starring Robert Wagner.
In 1968, he published "Once an Eagle." Ten years later, it was made into a TV miniseries.
"The Last Convertible," published in 1978, bridged the years between World War II and the Vietnam War.