Franklin Schaffner, one of several prominent directors during U.S. television's "Golden Age," worked on such prestigious anthology series as Studio One (Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]), The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (National Broadcasting Company [NBC]), Playhouse 90 (CBS), and The DuPont Show of the Week (NBC) as well as Edward R. Murrow's Person to Person (CBS) and the drama series The Defenders (CBS). Schaffner later became known as an "actor's director," but his television work is known primarily for his unique use of the camera.

     Schaffner attended Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he majored in government and English. A prize-winning orator, Schaffner appeared in several university productions and also worked part time as an announcer at local radio station WGAL. His plans to attend Columbia Law School were interrupted when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. During the war, he served with amphibious forces in Europe and North Africa and, later, with the Office for Strategic Services in the Far East.

     After the war, Schaffner first sought work as an actor. He was eventually hired as a spokesperson and copywriter for the peace organization Americans United for World Government. During this period, Schaffner met ABC Radio vice president Robert Saudek and worked as a writer for Saudek's radio series World Security Workshop. For that series, Schaffner wrote "The Cave," which was the series' final broadcast (May 8, 1947), and his experience on the series encouraged him to pursue a career in broadcasting.

     Schaffner was hired as an assistant director on the radio documentary series The March of Time for $35 per week. His work brought him to the attention of Robert Bendick, director of television news and special events for CBS. Bendick hired Schaffner in April 1948 as director of Brooklyn Dodgers baseball as well as other sporting events and public service programs. Schaffner's experience with the spontaneity and immediacy of live special events made him a logical choice as one of three directors for the 1948 Democratic and Republican political conventions held in Philadelphia.

     By 1949, Schaffner was ready for the challenge of directing live dramatic programs. After directing Wes­ley (CBS, 1949), a live situation comedy produced by Worthington Miner, Schaffner alternated directing assignments with Paul Nickell on Miner's live anthology series Studio One. On that series Schaffner directed adaptations of classics as well as original productions, including the series' first color telecast, The Boy Who Changed the World (October 18, 1954). At a time when other directors used static cameras, Schaffner utilized a moving camera with long, graceful tracking shots. In addition to masking the limitations of the studio set, Schaffner's camera work drew audiences into the action of the play. In Twelve Angry Men (September 20, 1954), Schaffner designed a 360-degree shot that required orchestrated moves of the set's walls during the shot. Schaffner won a 1954 Emmy for his directorial work on Twelve Angry Men.

     While working on the Studio One series, Schaffner drew on his news and public affairs experience to serve as producer and studio director for Edward R. Murrow's interview program Person to Person (CBS, 1953-61). Although the initial episodes utilized static camera setups for the remote interviews, Schaffner later incorporated tracking cameras that moved with guests to show their home and activities. Schaffner worked on the series until 1957, when most of his work originated from Los Angeles.

     Schaffner drew on his news experience once again for A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy (NBC, February 14, 1962). Schaffner's moving camera and unique camera angles provided viewers with an intimate look at the White House renovation. He won a 1962 Directorial Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America for his work on the program.

     One of Schaffner's best-known works is the production of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (Ford Star Jubilee, CBS, November 19, 1955), which was broadcast from the new, state-of-the-art CBS facilities at Television City in Los Angeles. The static action of the play is kept moving by Schaffner's mobile camera and dramatic crane shots. Schaffner was awarded two Emmys for his work on the teleplay: one for Best Director and another for Best Adaptation (with Paul Gregory). The show was originally broadcast in color, but only black­ and-white kinescopes survive.

     After years as a director of live television dramas, Schaffner directed various episodes of the dramatic series The Defenders (CBS, 1961-65), produced by Her­ bert Brodkin and written by Reginald Rose. The series originated  as  a  two-part  episode  on  Studio  One  in I 957, directed by Robert Mulligan. Schaffner used film editing to create montages of busy New York scenes and unusual camera angles to concentrate on the characters. Schaffner won his fourth Emmy for his work on the series.

     Schaffner left television to direct and produce fea­ture films. His film work includes  Planet of the Apes ( 1968); Patton (1970), for which he received the Academy Award and Directors Guild Award for Best Director; Nicholas and Alexandra (1971 ); Papillon (1973); and The Boys from Brazil (1978). In 1977, Schaffner's alma mater, Franklin and Marshall College, established the Franklin J. Schaffner Film Library and presented the director with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Schaffner died of cancer in Santa Monica, California, on July 2, 1989.