Paul Avila Mayer (May 28, 1928 – July 10, 2009) was an American television writer and producer.

Personal life

Mayer was born May 28, 1928 in Los Angeles, the son of

Edwin Justus Mayer Edwin Justus Mayer (November 8, 1896 – September 11, 1960) was an American screenwriter. He wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for 47 films between 1927 and 1958. Edwin Justus Mayer worked on many screenplays but he is remembered now for h ...

and Frances O'Neill. He was married to actress and comedian Sasha Von Scherler, the daughter of Stephen and Ruth Litscher, who died in 2000 of lung disease. They had three children together, daughters Rachael, Ruth, and Daisy.

Positions held

* Executive produce on ''

Ryan's Hope ''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in th ...

'' (1975–1981) * Co-head writer on '' Where the Heart Is'' (1971–1973), ''

Love of Life ''Love of Life'' is an American soap opera televised on CBS from September 24, 1951, to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation ''Search for Tomorrow'' premiered three weeks before ''Love of Life''; he created ''Th ...

'' (1973–1975), ''

'' (1975–82, 1983), ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show focu ...

'' (1985) * Writer on ''Where the Heart Is'' (1970–1971) * Adaptation on ''

Six Characters in Search of an Author ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' ( it, Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore, link=no ) is an Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, written and first performed in 1921. An absurdist fiction, absurdist metatheatrical, metatheatric play about th ...

'' (1976)

Awards and nominations

Mayer was nominated for ten

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

s in the categories Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, for his work on ''

''. He was nominated annually except for 1982, from 1977 to 1984, and won eight times in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, and 1984. His first win was shared with

Claire Labine Claire Vaughn Labine (née Wood; June 28, 1934 – November 11, 2016) was an American soap opera writer and producer.

and Mary Ryan Munisteri, and his first nomination was shared with Labine and

Robert Costello Robert Costello (1921-2014) was an American TV and film producer, writer, and director. His productions include ''The Patty Duke Show'' (briefly), ''Dark Shadows'', ''The Adams Chronicles'', '' The Secret Storm'', ''Ryan's Hope'', '' Another Worl ...

After ''Ryan's Hope''

According to an interview with co-creator

Claire Labine Claire Vaughn Labine (née Wood; June 28, 1934 – November 11, 2016) was an American soap opera writer and producer.

, after the show's cancellation in 1989, Paul went back to school at the age of 56. He earned a Master of Social Work degree and then studied at a psychoanalytic institute, launching a successful career as a psychoanalyst. Mayer died on July 10, 2009 of a brain tumor.We Love Soaps obituary
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Career as
head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In fictional comedy o ...

References

External links

* *
Ryan's Bar Online
2009 deaths American soap opera writers American television producers Emmy Award winners Soap opera producers 1928 births American male screenwriters American male television writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-tv-writer-stub