Trivia

Stepfather of his ex-wife Teresa Wright's two children.

He was a U.S. Navy lieutenant in the Pacific during WWII. He adapted several stories about the Pacific region, including the screenplays for James A. Michener's Until They Sail (1957) and Richard McKenna's The Sand Pebbles (1966).

He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy (1931-35) and at Harvard University, where he received both his A.B. (magna cum laude) in 1939 and his M.A. in 1940.

He was a playwright, novelist, and screenwriter.

President of the New Dramatists Committee, 1955-56; president of the Dramatists Guild, 1971-73; and vice-president, Authors League of America, 1980.

Recipient of a National Theatre Conference prize, 1945; Rockefeller fellowship, 1946; Writers Guild of America award, for screenplay, 1970; ACE award for television, 1991; and election to the Theater Hall of Fame, 1980.