Rodman "Rod" Edward Serling, television and motion picture writer, was born on December 25,
1924, in Syracuse, New York. Upon graduating from high school in Binghamton, New York, he
enlisted in the Army and served as a paratrooper during World War II. While in the
Philippine Islands during a two-year tour of duty in the Pacific he was severely wounded.
Among his other early experiences was that of being a Golden Gloves boxer.
After the war, Serling entered Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and majored in
literature and languages. Under a work-study program he was employed by local radio
stations. By the time he graduated in 1950 he had sold several radio and television scripts.
From 1950 to 1953 Serling worked for Cincinnati radio (WLW) and television (WKRC-TV)
stations writing scripts and commercial continuities. By 1954 he had decided to freelance
and moved to Westport, Connecticut, to be closer to New York City.
One of television's most prolific and best-known writers, Serling helped mold live drama in
television's early years. A number of his television plays were produced for such
anthologies as Kraft Theatre (NBC), Studio One (CBS), The U.S. Steel Hour (CBS), and
Playhouse 90 (CBS). In 1955 he won his first Emmy and
industry-wide recognition for his script "Patterns" (Kraft
Theatre), a story about life in the top echelons of big business. Later his
screenplay for "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (Playhouse 90)
brought him his second Emmy and the first Peabody award ever bestowed on a writer. Among
other notable works are "A Town Has Turned to Dust," which focused on the effects of a lynch
mob on a town and won Serling yet another Emmy; "The Rank and File," which described
corruption in labor unions; and "In the Presence of Mine Enemies," which detailed life in the
Warsaw ghetto. By the late 1950s censorship problems had resulted in Serling's decision to
write less for television. Nevertheless, he continued to write but switched from
controversial drama to fantasy. In 1959, The Twilight Zone, a
television classic which combined drama and science fiction and often involved unexpected
twists of plot and excursions in time and space, premiered. Serling was its creator,
executive producer, narrator, and frequently the author of its episodes. He twice won an
Emmy as outstanding writer for his work on the series. Among his other television series
were The Loner, in which he refused to feature violence, and
Night Gallery, a program based on supernatural tales for
which he served as narrator and occasional contributing writer.
Serling also wrote several screenplays. Among these were Requiem for
a Heavyweight, Yellow Canary, Seven Days in May, Assault on a
Queen, R.P.M. (Revolutions Per Minute), and The Man, as well as coauthoring Planet of the
Apes.
Serling served as president of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
He often took the industry to task for its failure to achieve responsible broadcasting
practices.
During the early 1970s he taught dramatic writing at Ithaca College, toured the college
lecture circuit, and did occasional narrations. He died on June 28, 1975, in Rochester, New
York, following complications after open heart surgery.
