Born in Lorain, Ohio, American playwright, novelist, and Emmy-winning television screenwriter William Hanley (1931-2012) was known for his Broadway playSlow Dance on the Killing Ground and television movies and mini-series. Hanley grew up in New York City, studied at Cornell University for a year, and joined the United States Army in the 1950s. Although not an actor, Hanley enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Hanley wrote his first play in 1957, but it was not until 1962 that his work was produced. His one-act plays,Whisper Into My Good Ear andMrs. Dally Has a Lover, staged Off-Broadway at Cherry Lane Theatre, led to a Drama Desk Award. Hanley's Broadway debutSlow Dance on the Killing Ground, a three person drama starring George Rose, opened at the Plymouth Theatre in 1964 and received a Tony Award nomination. While praised for these Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, Hanley's writing proved to be well-suited for television. Hanley sold his stage playFlesh and Blood to NBC for $112,500 in 1966, a sum then unheard of for a single television work. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Hanley concentrated on television screenwriting and won two Emmys. Hanley died in Connecticut in 2012.