Biography
Charles O'Neal was an American screenwriter and novelist. Born in Raeford, North Carolina, he attended the University of Iowa, where he studied literature. He began in acting, performing with a troupe in San Diego that included his future wife, Patricia O'Callaghan, before publishing a short story in Esquire in 1940 and turning to screenwriting.
O'Neal wrote or co-wrote numerous films, including The Seventh Victim (1943), Cry of the Werewolf (1944), Return of the Bad Men (1948) and The Alligator People (1959). His television credits include episodes of Lassie and The Untouchables. He adapted his 1949 novel The Three Wishes of Jamie McRuin into the 1952 Broadway musical Three Wishes for Jamie with Abe Burrows. He died in Los Angeles in 1996.
