Wisner McCamey Washam (born September 8, 1931) is an American soap opera writer, best known as the

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 ...

of ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...

'', from 1981 to 1987.

Early life and career

A native of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, he graduated from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. After working in local television and radio in

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, he moved to London where he studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. From there, he returned to New York where he worked for four seasons with the American

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Festival in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and on national tour.

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

he was stage manager for ''The Fantasticks, The White Devil'', and ''The House of Blue Leaves''. He toured the US as stage manager for Victor Borge, then worked with Mike Todd's ''America Be Seated'' as well as ''The Birds'' and ''The Orestea'' in the Ypsilanti Greek Festival. On Broadway he was

understudy In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to ap ...

and

stage manager Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including the overseeing of the rehearsal p ...

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

's ''Star-Spangled Girl'', ''Plaza Suite'' (he also assisted Mike Nichols in directing the national tour), ''The Prisoner of Second Avenue'', ''There's A Girl in My Soup'', and ''The Riot Act''.

All My Children

He was groomed by ''All My Children'' creator

Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon ( Eckhardt; December 10, 1922 – September 28, 2016) was an American television writer and producer, and the creator of the ABC soap operas ''One Life to Live'', ''All My Children'', as well as ''Loving'' and its spin-off '' The Ci ...

to take the reins in the 1980s while she focused on other endeavors. From 1981 to 1983, he shared head writing duties with Nixon, and from 1986 to 1987, was co-head writer with

Lorraine Broderick Lorraine Broderick (born 1948) is an American television soap opera writer. She got her start on '' All My Children'' as a protégée of the show's creator, Agnes Nixon. She went on to serve four different stints as its Head Writer, ultimatel ...

. Washam took a break from the show for nearly three years, but returned in time for its 20th anniversary. From 1989 to 1992, Washam served as Associate Head Writer (alongside Broderick through 1991, followed by

Megan McTavish Megan McTavish (born April 2, 1949, Elgin, Illinois) is American television actress and soap opera writer. McTavish is best known for several head writing stints on ''All My Children''. Early career Before becoming a writer, McTavish was a Chica ...

), with Nixon head writing the show. Washam chose to leave All My Children once again, upon McTavish's ascension to the head writing post.

Later career

After leaving ''All My Children'' Washam worked in Paris while assisting development of the European soap opera which eventually aired as ''Riviera''. He created the concept for a new

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

primetime soap, and was also involved in the development of a German soap opera, ''Take Your Chance''. He has written both a screenplay and a novel entitled ''The Cloning'' which has been modified under the title "Has The Pope Lost His Marbles?" His second novel is "Edie's Story." His latest publication is a potpourri of his writings entitled "Scribbles." All are available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle. Washam won a

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 ...

for Outstanding Writing Team as All My Children's co-head writer alongside Nixon in 1985, and another with Broderick in 1988. His third daytime Emmy was in 1993 with CBS's "The Guiding Light."

Personal life

Washam married soap opera and Broadway actress

Judith Barcroft Judith Barcroft (born July 6, 1942 in Washington, D.C.) is an American Broadway and soap opera actress. She began her soap career in 1966 by creating the role of Lenore Moore on '' Another World'', a role she played until 1971. In 1970, she made ...

on June 15, 1969. They have a son named Ian Miller Washam (who played Little Phillip Brent on ''All My Children'' in the 1970s) and a daughter, Amy Washam Masterson, and three granddaughters.

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy Awards 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 ...

WINS *(1985 & 1988; Best Writing; ''All My Children'') *(1993; Best Writing; ''Guiding Light'') NOMINATIONS *(1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991 & 1992; Best Writing; ''All My Children'') Writers Guild of America Award NOMINATIONS *(1991 & 1992 seasons; ''All My Children'')

Head writing tenure

References

External links

* *
Interview at "welovesoaps.net"
http://www.welovesoaps.net/2010/02/wisner-washam-interview-part-2-of-3.html Part 2 of
Part 3
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washam, Wisner 1931 births Living people American soap opera writers Daytime Emmy Award winners University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni