Al Ramrus

Al Ramrus was an American screenwriter, producer, documentarian, and novelist.

After graduating from New York City College, Ramrus began working as a news reporter in Canada, where he quickly learned to speak French by watching television shows with subtitles.

In 1959, he moved back to New York City to do research for the The Mike Wallace Interview, and would later write for the television documentary series Biography, many episodes of which were hosted by Wallace.

In 1962, Ramrus relocated to Los Angeles, where he began writing for several television series, including The Rat Patrol, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Virginian, The Invaders, and Daniel Boone, as well as numerous TV movies. He continued his work as a documentarian as executive producer of the NBC series Hollywood and the Stars, and on profiles of Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. Ramrus would go on to collaborate on over 80 documentaries with producer David L. Wolper.

Ramrus also wrote screenplays for feature films, including The Island of Dr. Moreau (with Burt Lancaster), and Goin' South (with Jack Nicholson). He also penned the historical fiction novels The Ludendorff Pirates and The Dark Citadel.

His later years were spent teaching screenwriting at UCLA, and participating in documentaries about his mentors, including Wallace, Wolper, and writer/philosopher Ayn Rand.

Ramrus died December 27, 2020. He was 90.