Willie Wilkerson was raised and educated in England and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1977. He has authored several books, and has contributed to several publications including the Los Angeles Times, the Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, the Herald Examiner, and the LA Weekly, as well as being an on-camera historian for such TV shows as A&E's "Biography", E! Entertainment's "Mysteries & Scandals," The Learning Channel's "The Secret History of Las Vegas" and PBS's "History Detectives".