Michael Elias is a screenwriter and director. His credits include The JerkSerialThe Frisco KidEnvoyez les Violins, and Young Doctors in Love. He wrote and directed the acclaimed jazz film Lush Life, starring Jeff Goldblum and Forest Whitaker. Elias lives in Los Angeles with his son, Fred, and his partner, Bianca Roberts, a vice president of the California Institute of the Arts. The Last Conquistador is his first novel.