Sidney Sheldon
American writer of Broadway, film, TV, and best-selling novels.
Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer who made his mark first on Broadway and in Hollywood, then reinvented himself as a blockbuster novelist. Born Sidney Schechtel in Chicago to Ukrainian Jewish parents, he sold a poem for $5 at age ten. During the Great Depression, he held various jobs, graduated from East High School in Denver, and attended Northwestern University on a scholarship while contributing short plays to drama groups. He dropped out after six months to support his family. In World War II, he enlisted as a pilot in the Army Air Corps’ War Training Service, but was discharged due to a recurring slipped disc before deployment.
He moved to Hollywood in 1937, reviewing scripts and working on B movies. On Broadway, he wrote musicals while also writing screenplays for MGM and Paramount. At one point, he and Ben Roberts had three musicals running simultaneously: a rewritten *The Merry Widow*, *Jackpot*, and *Dream with Music*. He won a Tony Award in 1959 for *Redhead*, starring Gwen Verdon. His other stage plays include *Alice in Arms*, *The King of New York*, *The Judge*, and *Roman Candle* (the only one published as a book); *Gomes* was performed only in London.
Returning to Hollywood, his first film assignment was *The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer* (1947), which won him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He contributed to *Easter Parade* (1948) and was the sole writer for *Annie Get Your Gun* (1950). Other film 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* (which he also directed), *You’re Never Too Young*, *The Birds and the Bees*, *Anything Goes*, *Pardners*, *The Buster Keaton Story* (also directed), *All in a Night’s Work*, and *Billy Rose’s Jumbo*.
Moving into television, Sheldon created *The Patty Duke Show* (1963–66) after seeing Duke in *The Miracle Worker*. He wrote nearly every episode himself for seven years. In 1965, he created, produced, and wrote *I Dream of Jeannie*, penning all but two dozen scripts over five years, sometimes using the pseudonyms Mark Rowane, Allan Devon, and Christopher Golato to avoid overexposure in the credits. After the show ended in 1970, he wrote all 17 episodes of the short-lived *Nancy*. In 1979, he created and wrote *Hart to Hart*, which ran for five seasons on ABC.
Sheldon wrote his first novel, *The Naked Face*, in 1969, earning an Edgar nomination for Best First Novel. His next, *The Other Side of Midnight* (1973), hit number one on *The New York Times* bestseller list, as did many later books, several adapted into films or TV miniseries. His romantic suspense novels often featured determined women navigating a hostile world. He aimed to make his books unputdownable, using cliffhanger chapter endings. Most of his readers were women, and he explained he liked writing about talented, capable women who retain their femininity. His novels have sold over 300 million copies in 51 languages, and he is consistently ranked among the top ten best-selling fiction writers of all time.
- born
- February 11, 1917, Chicago, Illinois
- died
- January 30, 2007, Rancho Mirage, California
- field
- Writer (plays, screenplays, television, novels)
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), The Patty Duke Show, I Dream of Jeannie
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Sheldon was born Sidney Schechtel in Chicago, Illinois, to parents of Ukrainian Jewish ancestry. At age 10, he made his first sale, $5 for a poem. During the Great Depression, he worked a variety of jobs, and after graduating from East High School in Denver, Colorado, he attended Northwestern University on a scholarship, but had to drop out after six months to help support his family. He 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, and he was discharged because of a recurring slipped disc before he was deployed. In 1937, Sheldon moved to Hollywood, where he reviewed scripts and collaborated on B movies. He began writing musicals for Broadway while continuing to write screenplays for MGM and Paramount. He earned a Tony Award in 1959 for his musical Redhead, starring Gwen Verdon. His film work included the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) and sole writing credit for the 1950 musical film Annie Get Your Gun. In television, he created, produced, and wrote The Patty Duke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, and Hart to Hart. He wrote almost every episode of The Patty Duke Show for seven years, and all but two dozen scripts for I Dream of Jeannie in five years, sometimes using pseudonyms Mark Rowane, Allan Devon, and Christopher Golato. After turning 50, Sheldon wrote his first novel, The Naked Face (1970), which earned him a nomination for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel. His next novel, The Other Side of Midnight (1973), climbed to number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, as did several ensuing novels. He authored 18 novels, which have sold over 300 million copies. He was first married to Jane Kaufman Harding (1945–1946), then for 30 years to Jorja Curtright, a stage and film actress who died of a heart attack in 1985, and later married Alexandra Joyce Kostoff in 1989. Sheldon struggled with bipolar disorder and contemplated suicide at 17, as detailed in his 2005 autobiography The Other Side of Me.
Reader's Guide
Sidney Sheldon's significance lies in his extraordinary versatility across multiple entertainment media, achieving success in Broadway, film, television, and novels. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) and a Tony Award in 1959 for the musical Redhead, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on I Dream of Jeannie. His television creations—The Patty Duke Show (1963–66), I Dream of Jeannie (1965–70), and Hart to Hart (1979–84)—became cultural touchstones. However, his greatest commercial impact came from his novels, which sold over 300 million copies worldwide in 51 languages, making him one of the top 10 best-selling fiction writers of all time. His novels often featured determined women who persevere in a tough world run by hostile men, and he employed cliffhanger techniques: 'I try to construct them so when the reader gets to the end of it, he or she has to read just one more chapter.' Sheldon's legacy is that of a prolific storyteller who mastered each medium he entered, leaving a vast body of work that entertained millions.
Did You Know?
- At age 10, Sheldon made his first sale, $5 for a poem.
- He wrote almost every episode of The Patty Duke Show for seven years, something he said nobody else in TV ever did.
- For I Dream of Jeannie, he wrote all but two dozen scripts in five years, sometimes using three pseudonyms: Mark Rowane, Allan Devon, and Christopher Golato.
- Sheldon's first novel, The Naked Face (1970), earned him a nomination for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel.
- He struggled with bipolar disorder and contemplated suicide at 17, talked out of it by his father who found him with a bottle of whiskey and several bottles of sleeping pills.
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.
What genre is Sidney Sheldon most associated with?
While he wrote across many formats, his novels are most closely identified with romantic suspense, blending fast-paced thriller plots with strong emotional character arcs. That formula set him apart from traditional mystery or crime writers.
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