Biography
Earl Hamner Jr. (1923–2016) was an American television writer, novelist and producer. Born in Schuyler, Virginia, he served in the US Army during the Second World War, attended Northwestern University and the University of Cincinnati, and began his career in radio before moving into television.
He contributed eight episodes to the CBS series The Twilight Zone in the early 1960s. Hamner created the long-running CBS series The Waltons (1972–1981), for which he also provided narration, and Falcon Crest (1981–1990). His 1961 novel Spencer's Mountain, drawn from his own childhood, was adapted into a 1963 film and formed the basis for The Waltons. He also wrote the screenplay for the 1973 animated film Charlotte's Web.
