Levin, Ira

The American novelist, playwright and scriptwriter Ira Levin was born in Bronx in New York; he was the only child in the family. His father, Charles Levin, was a successful businessman in the toy trade. Ira Levin started his academic education at Drake University in Des Moines, but after a couple of years moved to New York University, where he gained a B.A. in Philosophy and English in 1950. He started his military service in 1953. He served in the Army Signal Corps, but was lucky with where he was stationed, New York, so he could retain his contacts with publishers and the radio and TV world. Levin started his writing career as a scriptwriter for television, for both CBS and NBC, contributing to popular TV series.