Biography
Stirling Silliphant was an American screenwriter and producer. Born in Detroit, Michigan, on 15 January 1918, he died in Bangkok on 26 April 1996. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1938 and worked in publicity before becoming a screenwriter in the mid-1950s.
Silliphant wrote or co-wrote dozens of television episodes and created the series Route 66 and Naked City. His film screenplays include Village of the Damned (1960), In the Heat of the Night (1967), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Enforcer (1976) and Over the Top (1987).
In the Heat of the Night earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as an Edgar Award. He also received Golden Globe Awards for his screenplays for In the Heat of the Night and Charly (1968).
