Paul Avila Mayer
- For the German cardinal (1911-2010), see Paul Augustin Mayer.
Paul Avila Mayer (May 28, 1928 – July 10, 2009[1]) was an American television writer and producer. His father was the late screen writer Edwin Justus Mayer, and his daughter is director Daisy von Scherler Mayer.
Positions held
- Executive Producer on Ryan's Hope (1975–81)
- Co-head writer on Where the Heart Is (1971–73), Love of Life (1973–75), Ryan's Hope (1975–82, 1983, 1988–89), Search for Tomorrow (1985)
- Writer on Where the Heart is (1970–1971)
- Adaptation on Six Characters in Search of an Author (1976)
Awards and nominations
Mayer was nominated for ten Daytime Emmy Awards in the categories Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, for his work on Ryan's Hope. He was nominated annually except for 1982, from 1977 to 1984, and won eight times in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, and 1984. His first win was shared with Claire Labine and Mary Ryan Munisteri, while his first nomination was shared with Labine and Robert Costello.
After Ryan's Hope
According to an interview with co-creator Claire Labine, after the show's cancellation in 1989, Paul went back to school at the age of 56. He earned a Master of Social Work degree and then studied at a psychoanalytic institute, launching a successful career as a psychoanalyst. Mayer died on July 10, 2009 of a brain tumor.[2][3]
HW tenure
| Preceded by Pat Falken Smith |
head writer of Where the Heart Is (with Claire Labine) mid 1970 – March 1973 |
Succeeded by Show Ended |
| Preceded by Loring Mandel |
head writer of Love of Life (with Claire Labine) March 1973 – July 1975 |
Succeeded by Jean Halloway |
| Preceded by None |
head writer of Ryan's Hope (with Claire Labine) July 1975 – July 1982 |
Succeeded by Mary Ryan Munisteri |
| Preceded by Mary Ryan Munisteri |
head writer of Ryan's Hope (with Claire Labine) January 1983 – December 1983 |
Succeeded by Pat Falken Smith & James E. Reilly |
| Preceded by Caroline Franz & Jeanne Glynn |
head writer of Search for Tomorrow (with Stephanie Braxton) March 1985 – November 1985 |
Succeeded by Gary Tomlin |
| Preceded by Tom King & Millee Taggart |
head writer of Ryan's Hope (with Matthew Labine, Claire Labine & Eleanor Labine) February 1987 – January 1989 |
Succeeded by Show Ended |