Biography
Oliver Crawford, also credited as Oliver Kaufman, was an American television writer and author. He began working in television in the early 1950s and secured a contract with Burt Lancaster and Harold Hecht, but was blacklisted in 1953 after refusing to name names before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He returned to credited work in 1957 when actor Sam Levene helped him secure a writing position on Playhouse 90.
Crawford wrote for many series during the 1960s and 1970s. His credits include three episodes of The Fugitive (1963) and three of Star Trek (1966), as well as episodes of Bonanza, The Outer Limits, Gilligan's Island, The Wild Wild West, I Spy, Kojak and The Bionic Woman. He also wrote the novel The Execution (1978), later adapted as a television film.
Crawford served on the board of the Writers Guild of America and taught filmmaking at Loyola Marymount University. He was born in Chicago and died in Los Angeles in 2008.
