James Costigan (March 31, 1926 – December 19, 2007) was an American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and Emmy Award-winning television screenwriter. His writing credits include the

television movies Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

'' Eleanor and Franklin'' and ''

Love Among the Ruins Love Among the Ruins may refer to: Literature * "Love Among the Ruins" (poem), a poem by Robert Browning * ''Love Among the Ruins. A Romance of the Near Future'', a novel by Evelyn Waugh * ''Love Among the Ruins'', a novel by Warwick Deeping * ''L ...

''.

Early life

Costigan was born on March 31, 1926 in

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...

, where his parents owned and operated a hardware store. He first achieved some level of success in the 1950s, when he came to write for television anthology series, such as '' Studio One'' and '' Kraft Television Theatre''.

Career

Costigan won his first Emmy for original teleplay in 1959 for ''Little Moon of Alban'', a segment which appeared as part of the '' Hallmark Hall of Fame''. He earned a second Emmy nomination in 1959 for his script adaptation of ''

The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in '' Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmil ...

''. He did not win, but Ingrid Bergman won an Emmy for her performance in ''The Turn of the Screw''. He increasingly began writing for the stage as the format of television began to change. His Broadway credits include
''Baby Want a Kiss''
a 1964

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

which starred

Joanne Woodward Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an American actress. A star since the Golden Age of Hollywood, Woodward made her career breakthrough in the 1950s and earned esteem and respect playing complex women with a charact ...

and Paul Newman. He returned to screenwriting for television in the early 1970s. His 1970s work included ''

A War of Children ''A War of Children'' is a 1972 television film directed by George Schaefer, written by James Costigan, and starring Vivien Merchant, Jenny Agutter, and John Ronane. Premise During The Troubles in Northern Ireland, two middle-class families in ...

'', written in 1972, which was about two families, one

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

and one

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, whose long time friendship is threatened by

sectarian violence Sectarian violence and/or sectarian strife is a form of communal violence which is inspired by sectarianism, that is, discrimination, hatred or prejudice between different sects of a particular mode of an ideology or different sects of a religion ...

. He won a second Emmy Award for ''

'', a 1975 television movie set in

Edwardian England The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

, which starred Katharine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier. His third Emmy win was for '' Eleanor and Franklin'' (1976), a two-part, four-hour television drama focusing on the lives of

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

and

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

Death

James Costigan died on December 19, 2007, aged 81, at his home in Bainbridge Island, Washington of heart failure.

References

External links

*
New York Times: James Costigan, Writer of Prestige TV, Is Dead
nytimes.com, January 5, 2008.
Los Angeles Times:James Costigan, 81; won Emmys for writing TV movies
latimes.com; accessed October 26, 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Costigan, James 1926 births 2007 deaths American television writers American male television writers American male television actors Male actors from Los Angeles Emmy Award winners Writers from Los Angeles Screenwriters from California 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers