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Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling (December 25, 1924 - June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his...view moreRodman Edward "Rod" Serling (December 25, 1924 - June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science-fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. He was active in politics, both on and off the screen, and helped form television industry standards.
Born to a Jewish family in upstate New York, he enlisted at age 18 when WWII broke out. His time as a paratrooper in the Pacific theatre would inform much of his work. He was discharged only after being seriously wounded and later in life would suffer from nightmares and flashbacks, which heavily influenced many of his later classic Twilight Zone episodes.
Serling began his career by writing radio ads and TV continuity bits in Cincinnati, and between 1951 and 1955 had 70 scripts produced for a variety of shows. His big break came with “Patterns,” an Emmy-winning story about the ethics of corporate ladder climbing. This was followed by the even more well-received “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” a Playhouse 90 live drama. By the time he won his third Emmy for “The Comedian” he was one of the most successful dramatic writers of television’s Golden Age.
Eight years later he left the prestigious world of live TV drama (a short-lived, dying format even then) for a science fiction anthology series of his own creation—The Twilight Zone. Freed from the bounds of realism, it allowed him to write about death, war, racism, mass hysteria and capital punishment—all off-limit topics with the more conservative early 1960s advertisers. The show became an instant hit amongst critics and, eventually, wider audiences.
When the show was cancelled after three seasons, Serling returned to teaching and voiceovers. He continued working on projects for both film and television. He died of a heart attack in 1975 aged 50.view less