Stirling Silliphant Biography

Fast Facts

• Recipient of an Edgar Award for "In the Heat of the Night" by the Mystery Writers of America
• Graduated from the University of Southern California in 1938 before enlisting in the Army during WWII
• Moved his family to Thailand in the 1980s, where he continued to write for numerous Hollywood productions
• Initially a publicity director with 20th Century Fox in New York, he would make the move to Hollywood in the early '50s in order to pursue his dream of screenwriting for both film and television
• While not writing for film and television treatments, he would continue his passion, eventually authoring more than 50 novels over the course of his long career
• Teamed with Walt Disney for the launch of "The Mickey Mouse Club" in 1955, but would later part ways with the show after his sketches did not bring in ratings like the pair had hoped
• Made a bet with filmmaker Hal Warren that he could not make a successful horror film, which resulted in the production of 1966's "Manos: The Hands of Fate", considered one of the worst films of all time