He helped form current television industry standards. He was known as the 'angry young man' of Hollywood and often clashed with television executives and sponsors over various issues like censorship, racism, and war.
Gene Roddenberry has this to say about Rod Serling: "No one could know Serling, or view or read his work, without recognizing his deep affection for humanity... And his determination to enlarge our horizons by giving us a better understanding of ourselves."
When Rod was a youngster, his dad, Sam Serling, built a small stage in their basement where Rod often put on plays. He could entertain himself for hours by acting out dialogue from movies he'd seen. Once, on a two hour-long trip from Binghamton to Syracuse, Rod's family remained silent and did not say a word to see if Rod would notice. He didn't and talked non-stop through the entire trip!
His seventh grade English teacher, Helen Foley, realized he has potential and encouraged him to enter the school's public speaking extracurricular. Rod joined the debate team and was a speaker at his high school graduation.
