20th-century American writers

Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer and actor. Marshall began his career in the 1960s as a writer for The Lucy Show and Dick Van Dyke Show until he developed the television adaptation of Neil Simon's play The Odd Couple. He rose to fame in the 1970s for creating four ABC sitcoms including Happy Days (1974–1984), Laverne & Shirley (1976–1983), Blansky's Beauties (1977), and Mork & Mindy (1978–1982).
Marshall went on to direct the numerous films including Young Doctors in Love (1982), The Flamingo Kid (1984), Nothing in Common (1986), Overboard (1987), Beaches (1988), Pretty Woman (1990), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Exit to Eden (1994), Dear God (1996), The Other Sister and Runaway Bride (Both in 1999), The Princess Diaries 1 and 2 (2001 and 2004), Raising Helen (2004), Georgia Rule (2007), Valentine's Day (2010), New Year's Eve (2011), and Mother's Day (2016). As an actor, he also appeared in many films including Soapdish (1991), A League of Their Own (1992), With Friends Like These... (1998), Orange County (2002), Keeping Up with the Steins (2006), Race to Witch Mountain (2009), and Life After Beth (2014), as well as voiced as Studio Executive in The Majestic (2001) and as Buck Cluck in Chicken Little (2005).

Anton Szandor LaVey (born Howard Stanton Levey; April 11, 1930 – October 29, 1997) was an American author, musician, and Satanist. He was the founder of the Church of Satan and the religion of Satanism. He authored several books, including The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Rituals, The Satanic Witch, The Devil's Notebook, and Satan Speaks! In addition, he released three albums, including The Satanic Mass, Satan Takes a Holiday, and Strange Music. He played a minor on-screen role and served as technical advisor for the 1975 film The Devil's Rain and served as host and narrator for Nick Bougas' 1989 mondo film Death Scenes.Historian of Satanism Gareth J. Medway described LaVey as a "born showman", with anthropologist Jean La Fontaine describing him as a "colourful figure of considerable personal magnetism". The academic scholars of Satanism Per Faxneld and Jesper Aagaard Petersen described LaVey as "the most iconic figure in the Satanic milieu". LaVey was labeled many things by journalists, religious detractors, and Satanists alike, including "The Father of Satanism", the "St. Paul of Satanism", "The Black Pope", and the "evilest man in the world".

Joan Kent Dillon (30 April 1925 – 18 January 2009) was a teacher, a nationally known historic preservation activist and an author.

Venetia Newall (1935–2017) was an English-American folklorist who was elected president of the Folklore Society and fellow of the American Folklore Society.

Charles Shaw (June 25, 1911 – December 14, 1987), was an American journalist who worked with Edward R. Murrow during World War II and then went on to be News Director and broadcast journalist at WCAU-TV, the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia.
Shaw was born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.
While at WCAU in the early 1950s, he was one of the first broadcast journalists to speak out against Senator Joseph McCarthy, even before Murrow did so.
In the late 1950s, Shaw was drawn to the story of the burgeoning Cuban revolution, and he travelled to Cuba to secretly meet with Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl Castro in the mountains of southern Cuba. When Castro came to power, Shaw was invited to Cuba by the new government, and he was also given a commendation by Castro when the new Cuban leader visited Washington in the early 1960s, before relations between the two governments turned sour.
After leaving CBS in the early 1960s, Shaw became editor of the Bucks County Gazette, in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Irwin Shapiro (1911–1981) was an American writer and translator of over 40 books, mostly for children and about Americana.

Trịnh Xuân Thuận (born August 20, 1948) is a Vietnamese-American astrophysicist.

Hildegarde Dolson Lockridge (1908–1981) was a prolific writer whose career spanned nearly fifty years. Her work appeared in major magazines, plus she was the author of fifteen books—all published under her maiden name of Hildegarde Dolson.

Lorin Farrar Wheelwright (December 20, 1909 – November 4, 1987) was an American Latter-day Saint hymnwriter, composer, musical instructor and educator.

Carl Braden (June 24, 1914 – February 18, 1975) was a trade unionist, journalist, and activist who was known for his work in the civil rights movement.