Andy Weir is an American author best known for his debut novel, The Martian, published in 2011. The book tells the story of an astronaut stranded on Mars and combines science fiction with real scientific principles. It gained widespread acclaim and was later adapted into a successful film starring Matt Damon. Weir was born on June 16, 1972, in Davis, California. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a software engineer. Following the success of The Martian, he published other novels, including Artemis and Project Hail Mary, further establishing his reputation in the science fiction genre.