“Ellery Queen†(Fred Dannay) (1905-1982) Author. Ellery Queen was one of two brainchildren of the team of cousins, Fred Dannay and Manfred Lee. Ellery Queen served as both author’s name and that of the detective-hero. Movies, radio shows, and television shows have been based on their works7 ½†x 10 ½†typed letter signed, “Ellery Queen,†two pages, New York, December 3, 1941, to Joseph A. Shipley. “…We are in deep sympathy with your aims, but unfortunately we are so tied up these days with work that it would be impossible for us to sit down and do the work required for your Dictionary…Sorry not to be able to be more cooperative, but we really have more work to do now than we can comfortably handle…. â€