Background
Lafferty was born in Davenport, Iowa on October 3, 1917.
Lafferty was born in Davenport, Iowa on October 3, 1917.
He attended Davenport Central High School there, graduating in 1935. He was inducted into the school"s Hall of Honor in 2009. He attended the Yale School of Music and was trained in piano.
With National Broadcasting Company, he produced the 1985 television movie An Early Frost, one of the first dramatic films to deal with the subject of Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Following his graduation, he worked in the radio industry in New York City as a director and producer. He was hired by Columbia Broadcasting System in 1965 as the network"s West Coast programming department, leaving in 1976. He was hired by National Broadcasting Company in 1979 as its senior vice president of West Coast programs and talent, and was later assigned responsibility for the network"s movies and mini-series.
He also worked on such television series as Star of the Family, The Danny Kaye Show, Robert Montgomery Presents, Studio One, and The Waltons.
Lafferty died at age 87 on August 25, 2005 at his home in Century City, California due to prostate cancer. He was interred in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.