Sidney Sheldon
Prince of potboilers and master of the page-turner.
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Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer who achieved prominence across Broadway, film, television, and novels. Born Sidney Schechtel in Chicago to Ukrainian Jewish parents, he sold a poem for five dollars at age ten. During the Great Depression, he worked various jobs and attended Northwestern University on a scholarship, contributing short plays to drama groups before dropping out after six months to support his family.
He served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps’ War Training Service but was discharged due to a recurring slipped disc before deployment. Moving to Hollywood in 1937, he reviewed scripts and collaborated on B movies. On Broadway, he wrote musicals, earning a reputation for prolific output—at one point having three musicals running simultaneously, including a rewritten The Merry Widow.
He won a Tony Award in 1959 for Redhead. His film work included the Oscar-winning screenplay for The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), contributions to Easter Parade, and sole writing credit for Annie Get Your Gun. In television, he created, produced, and wrote nearly every episode of The Patty Duke Show (1963–66), I Dream of Jeannie (1965–70), and Hart to Hart (1979–84), sometimes using pseudonyms to avoid overexposure in credits. After turning 50, he turned to novels, dictating each morning while still handling TV work.
His first novel, The Naked Face (1969), earned an Edgar nomination. Subsequent romantic suspense bestsellers like The Other Side of Midnight (1973), Rage of Angels (1980), and Master of the Game (1982) often featured determined women in hostile worlds. His 18 novels sold over 300 million copies in 51 languages, consistently ranking him among the top ten best-selling fiction writers of all time.
Lore & Background
Sheldon was born Sidney Schechtel in Chicago, Illinois. His parents, of Ukrainian Jewish ancestry, were Ascher 'Otto' Schechtel (1894–1967), manager of a jewelry store, and Natalie Marcus. At age 10, Sidney made his first sale, $5 for a poem.
During the Great Depression, he worked at a variety of jobs, and after graduating from East High School in Denver, Colorado, he attended Northwestern University on a scholarship, and contributed short plays to drama groups. He had to drop out after six months to help support his family. Sheldon enlisted in the military during World War II as a pilot in the War Training Service, a branch of the Army Air Corps. His unit was disbanded, but he was discharged because of a recurring slipped disc before he was deployed.
Broadway
In 1937, Sheldon moved to Hollywood, where he reviewed scripts and collaborated on a number of B movies. He began writing musicals for the Broadway stage while continuing to write screenplays for both MGM Studios and Paramount Pictures. He earned a reputation as a prolific writer; for example, at one time, Ben Roberts and he had three musicals on Broadway - a rewritten The Merry Widow, Jackpot, and Dream with Music.
Sheldon received a Tony Award in 1959 for his musical Redhead, starring Gwen Verdon. His other stage plays include Alice in Arms, The King of New York, The Judge, and Roman Candle. Only Roman Candle has been published as a book. The play Gomes was performed only in London and not on Broadway.
Film
Sheldon's success on Broadway brought him back to Hollywood, where his first assignment was The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, which earned him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1947. He was one of the writers on the screenplay for the 1948 musical film Easter Parade and sole writer for the 1950 musical film Annie Get Your Gun, both of which featured the songs of Irving Berlin. Some of his other writing credits include South of Panama; Gambling Daughters; Dangerous Lady; Borrowed Hero; Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case; Fly-by-Night; She's in the Army; Nancy Goes to Rio; Three Guys Named Mike; No questions asked; Rich, Young and Pretty; Just This Once; Remains to be Seen; Dream Wife (directed as well); You're Never Too Young; The Birds and the Bees; Anything Goes; Pardners; The Buster Keaton Story (directed as well); All in a Night's Work; and Billy Rose's Jumbo.
Did You Know?
- Sheldon used three pseudonyms (Mark Rowane, Allan Devon, and Christopher Golato) while writing scripts for I Dream of Jeannie.
- Sheldon struggled with bipolar disorder and contemplated suicide at age 17.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sidney Sheldon?
Sidney Sheldon was an American storyteller who worked across Broadway, Hollywood, and television before becoming one of the most commercially successful novelists of the late twentieth century. He was born in Chicago in 1917 and died in Rancho Mirage, California, in 2007.
What TV shows and films is Sidney Sheldon best known for?
He created or co-created hit series such as The Patty Duke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, and Hart to Hart, and wrote the screenplay for the 1947 film The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer. That television and film work made him a household name long before he ever published a novel.
When did Sidney Sheldon start writing novels?
He didn't begin publishing fiction until after his fiftieth birthday, having spent the first half of his career in theater, screenwriting, and television. That late pivot into romantic-suspense novels turned him into a global best-seller almost overnight.
How many copies of Sidney Sheldon's novels have been sold?
His novels have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 51 languages. Titles like The Other Side of Midnight helped cement that record.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Sidney Sheldon (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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