Wisner Washam
Encyclopedia
Wisner Washam is an American
soap opera
writer
, best known as the Head Writer
of All My Children
, from 1981 to 1987.
, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. After working in local television and radio in Charlotte
, 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 Festival in Connecticut
and on national tour. Off-Broadway
he was stage manager for The Fantasticks, The White Devil, and The House of Blue Leaves. He toured the USA 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
and stage manager in Neil Simon'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.
creator Agnes Nixon
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
. 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
), with Nixon head writing the show. Washam chose to leave All My Children once again, upon McTavish's ascension to the head writing post.
Washam assisted development of the European soap opera
which eventually aired as Riviera. He created the concept for a new Fox
primetime soap, wrote briefly for Guiding Light
on CBS in 1992, and was involved in the development of a German soap opera
, Take Your Chance. He has written both a screenplay
and a novel
entitled The Cloning. Washam won a Daytime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Writing Team as All My Children's co-head writer alongside Nixon in 1981, and another with Broderick in 1988.
actress Judith Barcroft
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, best known as the Head Writer
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, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
of All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, from 1981 to 1987.
Early Life and Career
A native of North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. After working in local television and radio in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
, he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art is a leading British drama school in west London. LAMDA's president is Timothy West and its new principal is Joanna Read, who recently succeeded Peter James...
. From there, he returned to New York where he worked for four seasons with the American Shakespeare Festival in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and on national tour. Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
he was stage manager for The Fantasticks, The White Devil, and The House of Blue Leaves. He toured the USA 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
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Festival. On Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
he was understudy
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
and stage manager in Neil Simon's
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
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 ChildrenAll My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
creator Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
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
Lorraine Broderick is an American television soap opera writer who got her start on All My Children as a protégée of the show's creator, Agnes Nixon.-Bio:...
. 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
Megan McTavish is an American television actress and soap opera writer. McTavish is best known for several head writing stints on All My Children.-Early career:...
), 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 ChildrenAll My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
Washam assisted development of the European soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
which eventually aired as Riviera. He created the concept for a new Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
primetime soap, wrote briefly for Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
on CBS in 1992, and was involved in the development of a German soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Take Your Chance. He has written both a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
and a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
entitled The Cloning. Washam won a Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
for Outstanding Writing Team as All My Children's co-head writer alongside Nixon in 1981, and another with Broderick in 1988.
Personal life
Washam married soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
actress Judith Barcroft
Judith Barcroft
Judith Barcroft 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...
on June 15, 1969. They have a son named Ian Miller Washam (who played Little Phillip Brent on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
in the 1970s) and a daughter, Amy Washam Masterson.