Login or register
TV

Rod Serling

Mostly Credited As: Rod Serling
Birth Name: Rodman Edward Serling
Date Of Birth: December 25, 1924 (Age 50)
Country Of Birth: USA
Birth Place: Syracuse, New York
Date Of Death: June 28, 1975
Cause Of Death: Coronary bypass complications (Rochester, NY)
 Rod Serling


Boxer, Paratrooper, and general angry young man, Serling was one of the radical new voices that made the 'Golden Age' of Television. Long before "The Twilight Zone" (1959), he was known for writing such high quality scripts as 'Patterns' and 'Requiem for a Heavywieght'. Even "The Twilight Zone" featured forays into controversial grounds like racism, Cold War paranoia and the horrors of war. His maverick attitude eventually drove him from regular network television.

Rod Serling Rod Serling
TV Appearances

Main cast 
Night Gallery (1970)As: Host
The Twilight Zone (1959)As: Narrator/Host
Episode Cast Credits 

Medium (2005) 
  • Still Life 02x09: (Nov/21/2005) As Himself (archive footage), [Uncredited]

Ironside (1967) 
  • Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Murder 05x20: (Feb/03/1972) As Thyros, Witches Shop Keeper 

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) 
  • Episode #79 04x13: (Dec/07/1970) As Himself 
  • Episode #73 04x07: (Oct/26/1970) As Himself 
  • Episode #22 02x08: (Nov/11/1968) As Himself 

The Andy Williams Show (1969) (1969) 
  • Debbie Reynolds / Edwin Hawkins Singers / Flip Wilson / Henry Mancini / Rod Serling 01x07: (Nov/01/1969) As Himself 

The Jack Benny Program (1950) 
  • Twilight Zone Sketch 13x16: (Jan/15/1963) As Himself, [Special Guest Stars]

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958) 
  • The Man in the Funny Suit 02x17: (Apr/15/1960) As Himself 

In Search of..... (1977) 
  • In Search of Ancient Mysteries (Unknown) As Himself 
  • In Search of Ancient Astronauts (Unknown) As Himself 
Crew Credits

Show Crew


Night Gallery (1970)• Creator
The Loner (US) (1965)• Creator
The New People (1969)• Developer
The Twilight Zone (1959)• Executive Producer
• Creator
The Twilight Zone (1985) (1985)• Creator
The Twilight Zone (2002) (2002)• Creator

Episode Crew


The Twilight Zone (2002) (2002) (Credited in 2 episodes from this show) 
 
• Eye of the Beholder 01x39 Apr/30/2003 As: Writer
• The Monsters Are on Maple Street 01x32 Feb/19/2003 As: Story
The Twilight Zone (1985) (1985) (Credited in 2 episodes from this show) 
 
• Our Sylena is Dying 03x08 Nov/12/1988 As: Story
• Night of the Meek 01x30 Dec/20/1985 As: Teleplay
Night Gallery (1970) (Credited in 37 episodes from this show) 
 
• Show all 37 episode crew credits
• The Escape Route   Nov/08/1969 As: Writer
• Eyes   Nov/08/1969 As: Writer
• Something in the Woodwork 03x12 Jan/14/1973 As: Teleplay
• You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan 03x05 Nov/12/1972 As: Teleplay
• Rare Objects 03x03 Oct/22/1972 As: Writer
Hallmark Hall Of Fame (1951) (Credited in 5 episodes from this show) 
 
• Show all 5 episode crew credits
• A Storm in Summer 19x03 Feb/06/1970 As: Writer
• Man Against Pain 02x39 Jun/21/1953 As: Writer
• Horace Mann's Miracle 02x25 Mar/08/1953 As: Writer
• I Lift Up My Lamp 01x33 Aug/17/1952 As: Writer
• The Carlson Legend 01x31 Aug/03/1952 As: Writer
The New People (1969) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
 
• Pilot 01x01 Sep/22/1969 As: Writer
The Loner (US) (1965) (Credited in 15 episodes from this show) 
 
• Show all 15 episode crew credits
• The Mourners for Johnny Sharp (2) 01x22 Feb/12/1966 As: Writer
• The Mourners for Johnny Sharp (1) 01x21 Feb/05/1966 As: Writer
• The Trial in Paradise 01x19 Jan/22/1966 As: Writer
• A Little Stroll to the End of the Line 01x18 Jan/15/1966 As: Writer
• The Oath 01x12 Dec/04/1965 As: Writer
Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre (1963) (Credited in 5 episodes from this show) 
 
• Show all 5 episode crew credits
• Exit From A Plane Flight 02x13 Jan/22/1965 As: Writer
• The Command 01x27 May/22/1964 As: Writer
• A Slow Fade to Black 01x22 Mar/27/1964 As: Writer
• It's Mental Work 01x10 Dec/20/1963 As: Writer
• A Killing At Sundial 01x01 Oct/04/1963 As: Writer
The Twilight Zone (1959) (Credited in 92 episodes from this show) 
 
• Show all 92 episode crew credits
• The Fear 05x35 May/29/1964 As: Writer
• The Brain Center at Whipple's 05x33 May/15/1964 As: Writer
• Mr. Garrity and the Graves 05x32 May/08/1964 As: Writer
• The Jeopardy Room 05x29 Apr/17/1964 As: Writer
• Sounds and Silences 05x27 Apr/03/1964 As: Writer
BBC Sunday-Night Play (1960) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
 
• A Town Has Turned to Dust 01x27 Jul/03/1960 As: Writer
Playhouse 90 (1956) (Credited in 11 episodes from this show) 
 
• Show all 11 episode crew credits
• In the Presence of Mine Enemies 04x17 May/18/1960 As: Writer
• The Rank and File 03x34 May/28/1959 As: Writer
• The Velvet Alley 03x16 Jan/22/1959 As: Writer
• A Town Has Turned to Dust 02x39 Jun/19/1958 As: Writer
• Bomber's Moon 02x36 May/22/1958 As: Writer
Pursuit (1958) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
 
• The Last Night in August 01x09 Dec/17/1958 As: Writer
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
 
• The Time Element 01x07 Nov/24/1958 As: Writer
Matinee Theater (1955) (Credited in 2 episodes from this show) 
 
• The Cause 03x121 May/12/1958 As: Writer
• O'Toole from Moscow 01x30 Dec/12/1955 As: Writer
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
 
• Requiem for a Heavyweight 08x13 Mar/31/1957 As: Writer
The United States Steel Hour (1953) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
 
• Noon on Doomsday 03x22 Apr/25/1956 As: Writer
Studio One (1948) (Credited in 6 episodes from this show) 
 
• Show all 6 episode crew credits
• The Arena 08x30 Apr/09/1956 As: Writer
• The Man Who Caught the Ball at Coogan's Bluff 08x11 Nov/28/1955 As: Writer
• U.F.O. 06x51 Sep/06/1954 As: Writer
• The Strike 06x38 Jun/07/1954 As: Writer
• Herman Came By Bomber 06x20 Feb/01/1954 As: Writer
Climax! (1954) (Credited in 3 episodes from this show) 
 
• Portrait in Celluloid 02x11 Nov/24/1955 As: Writer
• To Wake at Midnight 01x29 Jun/23/1955 As: Writer
• The Champion 01x20 Mar/31/1955 As: Writer
The Jane Wyman Show (1955) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
 
• The Director 01x03 Sep/13/1955 As: Writer
General Electric Theater (1953) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
 
• A Man with a Vengeance 03x31 May/15/1955 As: Writer
Kraft Television Theatre (1947) (1947) (Credited in 6 episodes from this show) 
 
• Show all 6 episode crew credits
• Patterns 08x16 Jan/12/1955 As: Writer
• A Long Time Till Dawn 07x11 Nov/11/1953 As: Writer
• The Blues for Joey Menotti 06x47 Aug/26/1953 As: Writer
• Old MacDonald Had a Curve 06x44 Aug/05/1953 As: Writer
• The Twilight Rounds 06x35 May/27/1953 As: Writer
Medallion Theatre (1953) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
 
• Twenty-Four Men in a Plane 02x15 Dec/19/1953 As: Writer
The Lux Video Theatre (1950) (Credited in 8 episodes from this show) 
 
• Show all 8 episode crew credits
• The Return of Socko Bernard 04x09 Oct/29/1953 As: Writer
• A Time for Heroes 03x26 Mar/02/1953 As: Writer
• The Inn of Eagles 03x21 Jan/26/1953 As: Writer
• The Hill 03x12 Nov/24/1952 As: Writer
• The Face of Autumn 03x09 Nov/03/1952 As: Writer
Suspense (US) (1949) (Credited in 1 episodes from this show) 
 
• Nightmare at Ground Zero 05x49 Aug/18/1953 As: Writer
Latest news


There are no news items yet
Trivia

Was avidly into tennis and ping-pong.
He suffered from combat-related flashbacks and insomnia, often having nightmares due to his war experience for the rest of his life.
He now appears on a 44ยข USA commemorative postage stamp, issued 11 August 2009, in the Early TV Memories issue honoring "Twilight Zone" (1959).
As a writer, his influences included H.G. Wells, Norman Corwin, Ernst Hemingway, Edgar Allen Poe, Edward R Murrow and H.P. Lovecraft.
His older brother was the novelist Robert Jerome Serling who wrote a lot of biographical information on aviation.
While working on "The Twilight Zone" with such a busy schedule, he usually dictated his scripts into a tape recorder and had his secretary type them up.
Rod actually ranked #1 in TV Guide's list of the "25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends" (1 August 2004 issue), the only real person on the list. All the others are TV show characters. This is odd as his show "The Twilight Zone" dealt primarily more with fantasy and the supernatural rather than science-fiction.
While in the military, he fought in the Golden Gloves competition. He won all but his championship fight.
In high school he tried out for the football team, but was told by the coach he was too physically small at a mere 5'4" 1/2.
When his teleplay for "A Storm In The Summer" was re-made in 2000, he garnered a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for "Outstanding Writing in a Children's Special" and a Writers Guild Award for "Best Children's Script" despite having been dead for the last twenty-five years. It was one many post-humorous honors for the late Serling.
More Trivia
Rod Serling Quotes
"Imagination... its limits are only those of the mind itself."
"Hollywood's a great place to live... if you're a grapefruit."
"I was a Christmas present that was delivered promptly and unwrapped."
"Every writer is a frustrated actor who recites his lines in the hidden auditorium of his skull."
"It may be said with a degree of assurance that not everything that meets the eye is as it appears."
"There are weapons that are simply thoughts. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy."

"Some people possess talent, others are possessed by it. When that happens, a talent becomes a curse."
"If you need drugs to be a good writer, you're not a good writer."
(on being born Christmas day): "I was a Christmas present that was delivered unwrapped."
"It is said that science fiction and fantasy are two different things. Science fiction is the improbable made possible, and fantasy is the impossible made probable."
More Quotes
Username:

Password:




• Forgot Password
• Free Sign Up
There currently is no editor for this person
Click here to apply if you want to be the editor

Will Arnett on 'Arrested Development' revival: "It's not season 4"

We're just three days away from the premiere of..

TSN lands exclusive rights to Canadian broadcasts of the U.S. Open beginning in 2015

A new ESPN deal is reaping benefits for Canadian sports..

Ang Lee leaves FX pilot

Earlier this pilot season, FX generated a lot of buzz when it was announced that Ang Lee would be..
Online Games | Info Center | Contact | TOS | Privacy | Copyright | Writers Wanted | Representative For a show? | News Staff | API