Steven M. Lopez (born 1953) is an American journalist and four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist who has been a columnist for The Los Angeles Times since 2001.
Lopez's series of columns about his unlikely relationship with a homeless Juilliard-trained musician with schizophrenia[2]Nathaniel Anthony Ayers became the subject of a national best-selling book by Lopez that inspired the film The Soloist, which stars Robert Downey Jr. as Lopez.[2] Ayers' and Lopez's relationship was also nationally highlighted in the March 22, 2009, episode of 60 Minutes.[3][4]
Lopez has won numerous national journalism awards including the H.L. Mencken, Mike Royko and Ernie Pyle awards. As a four-time Pulitzer finalist, his subjects were elder care, income inequality, homelessness and the California housing crisis.
In 2008 Lopez received the President's Award from the Los Angeles Press Club at the 50th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards.
His book, The Soloist, won the PEN USA award for literary non-fiction.