George Seaton, writer, director, and producer of motion pictures, was born in South Bend, Indiana, on 17 April 1911. He attended Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, and Central High School in Detroit, Michigan.
Seaton worked as an actor and free lance writer before joining the staff of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a screenwriter in 1933. There he collaborated on the stories for Student Tour (1934), The Winning Ticket(1935), and A Day at the Races (1937). In 1940 Seaton co-authored the screenplay for The Doctor Takes a Wife, a film produced by William Perlberg. This motion picture marked the beginning of a long and productive association between Seaton and Perlberg which eventually resulted in the formation of Perlberg-Seaton Productions.
Among Seaton's other works as a writer are Song of Bernadette (1943), Charley's Aunt (1941), and The Magnificent Dope (1942). He also directed [Billy Rose's] Diamond Horseshoe (1944), Teacher's Pet (1958), The Pleasure of His Company (1961), and Williamsburg, The Story of a Patriot, and served as both writer and director for Junior Miss (1945), 36 Hours (1964), What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968), and Airport (1969). Finally his work as a producer included Rhubarb (1951), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1953), and What's So Bad About Feeling Good?.
Seaton also worked on Broadway, directing the 1967 version of Love in E Flat.
Seaton won several awards for his contributions to filmmaking in America. He received the Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1947 for Miracle on 34th Street, and again in 1954 for The Country Girl. He also received the Laurel Award from the Writers Guild of America, West and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Seaton was actively involved in several professional and cultural organizations. He served as president of the Writers Guild of America, West (1948-1949) and of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1955-1958), and was a board member and vice-president of both the Directors Guild of America and the Motion Picture and Television Relief Fund. Seaton also served as a board member of the United States Advisory Committee on the Arts, the American Film Institute, the California Institute of the Arts, the Center Theatre Group of Los Angeles, and the Film Industry Workshops, Inc. of Los Angeles. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of Colonial Williamsburg, Inc.
George Seaton died in 1979 at the age of 68.
