Sidney Sheldon Dies at 89

Sidney Sheldon, who won a Tony Award, an Academy Award, and an Emmy Award before becoming one of the world’s best-selling novelists, died in Los Angeles on January 30 from pneumonia, according to published reports. He was 89.

After serving in World War II, Sheldon began his Broadway career in 1943, writing the book for a revival of The Merry Widow. Over the next 17 years, his work on Broadway included the books for the musicals Jackpot, Dream With Music, and Redhead, which earned him the Tony Award, and the plays Alice in Arms and Roman Candle, both of which had very short runs.

Sheldon’s even more celebrated Hollywood career, as both a writer and a producer, spanned over 50 years. He won the Oscar for the screenplay for the 1947 film The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer and wrote the screenplays for Easter Parade, The Barkleys of Broadway, Annie Get Your Gun, the 1956 version of Anything Goes, and Billy Rose’s Jumbo, among other films.

Sheldon began his major television work in 1964, writing all the episodes of The Patty Duke Show. The following year, he created I Dream of Jeannie, for which he won the Emmy, and in 1979, he created Hart to Hart, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers.

However, Sheldon’s greatest success came as a novelist. His books included The Other Side of Midnight, The Naked Face, Bloodline, If Tomorrow Comes, Rage of Angels, and A Stranger in the Mirror, all of which were adapted for either film or television.

Sheldon is survived by his second wife Alexandra, his daughter Mary, and his brother Richard.