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Screenwriter Charles "Blackie" O'Neal worked on feature films and television scripts from the early '40s through the early '60s. Born and raised in North Carolina, the University of Iowa graduate came to Southern California in the 1930s to become a stage actor. O'Neal joined the Old Globe Shakespearean Repertory in San Diego and eventually advanced as the troupe's lead actor. He co-wrote his first script, The Seventh Victim, in 1943 with Dewitt Bodeen. O'Neal did not write his first solo script until I Love a Mystery (1945). Later in his career, O'Neal switched to television, penning teleplays for such shows as Lassie, The Untouchables, and The Californians. In addition to his scripting experience, O'Neal authored the Christopher Award-winning novel The Three Wishes of Jamie McRuin (1949). He is the father of actor Ryan O'Neal and screenwriter Kevin O'Neal. O'Neal died on August 29, 1996, at the age of 92.