Author Gore Vidal  died yesterday in Hollywood Hills, California.  In his long career, he published essays, novels, plays and screenplays.  He became well  known as a political commentator and activist.  Among his novels are  Burr  (based on the life of Aaron Burr) , and The Golden Age.  Some of his many essays are in The Selected Essays of Gore Vidal .  His play The Best Man , about a bitter Presidential campaign, was made into a movie and is also currently running on Broadway.  His memoir Point to Point Navigation  was published in 2006. He also appeared in the 1997 science fiction film Gattaca, which was filmed partially  in the Marin County Civic Center building. The Los Angeles Times called Vidal a “literary juggernaut” and described his writing as “among the most elegant in the English language.”