Rod Serling

Screenwriter Rod Serling is best-known for The Twilight Zone (1959-1964), which presented insightful science fiction, fantasy, psychological horror, and the paranormal. It is consistently ranked as one of the best series in television history.  

Serling's first major success was the script “Patterns,” written for Kraft Television Theater in 1955, which won an Emmy for Best Original Teleplay Writing in 1956. In 1965 Sterling wrote “Requiem for a Heavyweight” for CBS’s Playhouse 90, which also won an Emmy for Best Original Teleplay Writing and the first Peabody Award given for television writing.

In 1959, CBS aired Serling’s best-known work, The Twilight Zone. Over the course of its five seasons, The Twilight Zone won two Emmys for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama, and three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation. In 1968, Serling co-wrote the screenplay for Planet of the Apes, and in 1970 NBC aired Serling’s final piece of television work, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, which ran for three seasons. Two of his scripts from the show were also nominated for Emmys.