Roy William Winsor (April 13, 1912 – May 31, 1987) was an American

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

writer, creator, producer and mystery novelist. He created three of the longest running soap operas in US television history.

Biography

Winsor was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois, on April 13, 1912, and graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

. Before he created television soap operas, he wrote for many radio serials. He also produced the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

show '' Have Gun – Will Travel'' for the radio. In 1951 he created the long-running soap opera '' Search for Tomorrow'' (1951–1986). For ''Search for Tomorrow,'' he first worked with fellow soap opera writer Agnes Nixon. The same year he created ''

Love of Life ''Love of Life'' is an American soap opera televised on CBS from September 24, 1951, to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation '' Search for Tomorrow'' premiered three weeks before ''Love of Life''; he created ...

'' (1951–1980). Three years later he would create another long-running soap opera ''

The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas '' Search for Tomorrow'' and '' Love of Life''. ...

'' (1954–1974). He produced episodes for situation comedies such as ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

'' and '' My Little Margie''. He created '' Ben Jerrod'' in 1963, the first daytime TV drama to be entirely broadcast in color. The year before ''The Secret Storm'' ended, he would take over as head writer of the NBC soap opera ''

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

''; he wrote for the show from 1973 to 1974. In 1981, after a long break, he returned to soap operas and co-created (with Bob Aaron) the serial '' Another Life'' (1981–1984) for

Christian Broadcasting Network The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series ''The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook (198 ...

. Winsor described the family at the center of ''Another Life'' as held together by values such as "discipline, loyalty, and moral standards", which he said have been "abused and scoffed at in today's world." He was the author of three mystery novels, including ''The Corpse That Walked'', which won an

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...

from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is a professional organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the E ...

in 1975 for Best Paperback Original. He also wrote ''Three Motives for Murder'', and ''Always Lock Your Bedroom Door''. Winsor died on May 31, 1987, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

at the age of 75 in Pelham Manor, New York.

References

External links

* 1912 births 1987 deaths Harvard College alumni American soap opera writers Writers from Chicago 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American radio writers American male screenwriters 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Illinois Screenwriters from Illinois American male television writers American television writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-screen-writer-1910s-stub