Ron Sproat
Ronald Sproat (2 November 1932 [1] - 6 November 2009 in Manhattan, New York) [2][3] was an American screenwriter and playwright known for Dark Shadows.
He was openly gay.
Biography
Career
Sproat is best known for his work on Dark Shadows, the 1960s ABC Daytime gothic soap opera. Sproat created the vampire character Barnabas Collins, and turned the low-rated show into a huge national success.[4] Sproat worked on the show from October 1966 through January 1969.[5]
Sproat also worked on several other soap operas, including Never Too Young, a 1965-1966 ABC soap aimed at teenagers, Where the Heart Is, a 1969-1973 CBS family melodrama, Strange Paradise, a Canadian soap opera that aired in syndication in the United States from 1969 to 1970. Love of Life, The Doctors, and The Secret Storm.[6]
In addition to television writing, Sproat has also written for musical theatre including Abie's Island Rose and Back Home: The War Brides Musical, both of which ran off Broadway.[7][8] He penned the play 'The Dry Season' which was performed in 1954 by The Hamilton College Charlatans.
Education
Sproat received his MA from the University of Michigan, and performed undergraduate work at Hamilton College. While at Hamilton College, he won the William Duncan Saunders Award for creative writing. Sproat also attended Yale University where he earned a MFA. While attending Michigan, Sproat was also the recipient of the Avery Hopwood Award.[4]
References
- ↑ tributes.com entry Accessed 11 December 2009
- ↑ Playbill obit Accessed 17 November 2009[dead link]
- ↑ Variety obit Accessed 17 November 2009
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External links
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- Articles with dead external links from October 2010
- 1932 births
- 2009 deaths
- Hamilton College (New York) alumni
- University of Michigan alumni
- Yale School of Drama alumni
- American male screenwriters
- 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
- American television writers
- American soap opera writers
- LGBT writers from the United States
- Place of birth missing
- LGBT dramatists and playwrights
- Male television writers
- American male dramatists and playwrights
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