Samuel Harris Rolfe (February 18, 1924 – July 10, 1993) was an American

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

best known for creating (with

Herb Meadow Herb Meadow (May 27, 1911 – March 1, 1995) was an American television producer and writer, born 1911 in Brooklyn, New York, best known for creating such series as ''Have Gun – Will Travel''. Early years Meadow grew up in Brooklyn. A ninth ...

) the 1950-60s highly rated

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

television series ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...

'', as well as his work on the 1960s

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by MGM Television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who wo ...

'' and '' The Eleventh Hour''.

Background

Rolfe was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He scored an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

nomination with his first screenplay, the

Anthony Mann Anthony Mann (born Emil Anton Bundsmann; June 30, 1906 – April 29, 1967) was an American film director and stage actor. Mann initially started as a theatre actor appearing in numerous stage productions. In 1937, he moved to Hollywood where ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

'' The Naked Spur'' in 1953.

''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''

Most of Rolfe's subsequent career was spent in television, where he created and was part of the writing staff on the highly regarded western series ''

'' and, most famously, ''

'' When

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

was unable to continue development of the ''U.N.C.L.E.'' concept, producer

Norman Felton Norman Francis Felton (April 29, 1913 – June 25, 2012) was a British-born American television producer, known for his involvement in shows such as ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' and ''Dr. Kildare''. Background Felton was born in London, the son ...

approached Rolfe, who was at that time working on '' The Eleventh Hour''. Rolfe wrote the pilot for ''U.N.C.L.E.'' "The Vulcan Affair", and came up with the

U.N.C.L.E. U.N.C.L.E. is an acronym for the fictional United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, a secret international intelligence agency featured in the 1960s American television series ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' and '' The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.''. ...

acronym. Rolfe left the show at the end of its first season. After his departure ''U.N.C.L.E.'' changed direction and exchanged tongue-in-cheek humour for more overt gags, culminating in the high-camp third season. Rolfe did not approve of the change in direction and felt the show lost its way after the first season. In an interview given shortly before his death he commented:

I've always felt U.N.C.L.E. was a show that needed a particular kind of a mind to direct it. You needed somebody that could do drama and then also lay humor into it but could sense when the humor had to be stopped and when you had to make the drama take over. And you could talk forever about it, but unless you walk in with that instinct, you're not going to get it. And I think that some of the people that followed me didn't have an instinct for it. So they got silly with it... They never sat down, they didn't really grasp the drama - that you had to have the dramatic spine.

Rolfe made a cameo appearance in one U.N.C.L.E. episode, "The Giuoco Piano Affair", where he played a Texan in the party-scene at Marion Raven's apartment.

Robert Vaughn Robert Francis Vaughn (November 22, 1932 – November 11, 2016) was an American actor noted for his stage, film and television work. His television roles include the spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s series ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''; the ...

, who played

Napoleon Solo Napoleon Solo is a fictional character from the 1960s TV spy series ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' The series format was notable for pairing the American Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and the Russian Illya Kuryakin, played by David McCallum, as two ...

in the series, called Rolfe "the real man from U.N.C.L.E." Rolfe was twice nominated for an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

Award, first for ''Have Gun – Will Travel'', and later for ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''

Later career

He continued to work as a producer and screenwriter right up until his death. His most notable contribution in later life was to the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode "

The Vengeance Factor "The Vengeance Factor" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', and the 57th episode of the series overall. Captain Picard contends with a divided people, the ...

" and the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode "

Vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex ( : vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in th ...

". He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in 1993, aged 69, after collapsing while playing tennis. He was survived by his wife Hilda and two children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Sam 1924 births 1993 deaths American male screenwriters American television writers American male television writers Writers from New York City 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters