Biography

Novelist David Westheimer wrote "Von Ryan's Express" (made into a film, Von Ryan's Express (1965)) with Frank Sinatra), "My Sweet Charlie" (adapted into a play which was staged on Broadway and then turned into a TV movie, My Sweet Charlie (1970), starring Patty Duke, who won an Emmy Award), "Summer on the Water," "Sitting It Out" and "Delay En Route."

He served in the US Army Air Force during World War II as a navigator aboard a B-24 bomber. His plane was shot down by Italian fighter planes and he spent 28 months in Italian and German POW camps. He based his novel "Von Ryan's Express" on his experiences as a POW.

He was also an editor and columnist for The Houston Post.
- IMDb mini biography by: PeterMH (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University in 1937. He began his successful writing career at the Houston Post in 1939.

Was a Captain in the US Air Force between 1941-1945, serving as a navigator on a B-24 bomber. His plane was shot down by Italian fighters and he spent almost three years as a POW in Italian and German prison camps. He remained in the Air Force Reserve, serving as a Lieutenant Colonel until he retired.