DIAN FOSSEY

Dian Fossey was a zoologist, primatologist, and anthropologist best known for her research on gorillas, as well as her best-selling book Gorillas in the Mist (later adapted to a movie starring Sigourney Weaver). Fossey promoted conservation and opposed poaching, and was recognized as the leading authority in gorilla behaviors and physiology. She was found murdered in 1985 at the age of 53, and to date the case remains unsolved.