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Irwin R. Blacker
Irwin R. Blacker (1919 - February 23, 1985) was an American author and screenwriter who taught some of Hollywood’s most accomplished writers, directors and producers.
A native of ...view moreIrwin R. Blacker (1919 - February 23, 1985) was an American author and screenwriter who taught some of Hollywood’s most accomplished writers, directors and producers.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, where he spent most of his life there, he was drafted into the U.S. Army six months before Pearl Harbor and served for four years in various capacities in North Africa and Italy. He began his college education from scratch after the war and in less than two years graduated with the highest honors from Ohio University with a Bachelors in journalism. He received his M.A. in English and won a two-year doctoral fellowship from Western Reserve University, where he subsequently taught for two years prior to joining the faculty of Purdue University.
In late 1950, his sphere of action shifted to Washington, D.C., when he entered Government service, which he left at the end of a year to become a full-time writer.
He returned to teaching in the mid-1960’s, this time at the University of Southern California, where he would count among his students many who would go on to illustrious Hollywood careers, including George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars movies. He retired in 1978.
Blacker wrote 22 fiction and non-fiction books as well as screenplays for television shows such as Bonanza, Odyssey, and Conquest. Among his books was the novel Search and Destroy, which he co- produced for television.
He died in 1985 at the age of 65.view less