Nelson Gidding, a renowned writer, was born in New York and went on to receive his education at Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University. His passion for writing began at a young age, and he even had a poem published in the Boy Scouts magazine, a feat he proudly recalled was achieved as recently as the mid-1920s.
During World War II, Gidding found himself imprisoned in a POW camp, where he began working on his first and only book, "End Over End". After the war, he transitioned into television work, contributing to various shows such as "Suspense", "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon", and many others.
As his career progressed, Gidding shifted his focus to film, accumulating an impressive list of credits that includes critically acclaimed titles like "Odds Against Tomorrow", "The Haunting", and "The Andromeda Strain". Notably, he co-wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for "I Want to Live!", a biographical drama that tells the tragic story of real-life prostitute Barbara Graham and her execution by gas chamber for murder charges.
Gidding's collaboration with director Robert Wise was a significant one, and he went on to work with Wise on several projects. In his later years, he shared his expertise by teaching a screenwriting class at the University of Southern California.
