David V. Robison came from an accomplished family of liberal and artistic leanings. His sister was a concert pianist and his oldest daughter, Paula Robison, is one of the premier flutists in the world, and teaches flute at the Mannes School of Music in New York City. After graduating in history from Columbia University, David taught at the African-American College Fiske University in Atlanta, where he met the black singer and actor Paul Robeson. Paul was Paula's godfather. David became active in the civil rights movement, and his leftist leanings led to his being blacklisted in the 1950s. During this period he wrote under several pseudonyms and was known as an accomplished rewrite man. In the 1960s he started writing again under his own name, and was one of the main script writers for the Defenders, with E.G. Marshall, and other popular TV shows. He moved to Woodstock, New York in the late 1960s and died there of lung cancer in 1977, survived by his wife Naomi, an actress and teacher, his daughters Paula and Deborah, and his son Joshua.

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David V. Robison

Writer