Edward John Boon (born February 22, 1964) is an American video game programmer, philanthropist, voice actor, and director who was employed for over 15 years at Midway Games and since 2011 has worked for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in its company NetherRealm Studios. Boon is best known for the widely popular Mortal Kombat series, which he created with John Tobias. Boon and Tobias' last names backwards are the basis for the name of the Mortal Kombat character Noob Saibot.
Boon was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from high school at Loyola Academy in Wilmette. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and computer science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
After graduation, he was employed by Williams Entertainment in their pinball department, working on approximately 20 pinball games over the next two years. During this time, he was called the Mortal Master, an early indicator towards a future creation.