Horace Stanley McCoy (April 14, 1897 – December 15, 1955) was an American writer whose mostly hardboiled stories took place during the Great Depression.
During World War I he served in the United States Army Air Corps, flying several missions behind enemy lines as a bombardier and reconnaissance photographer.
[clarification needed][4] His acting was good enough for him to be cast in the leads in Molnár's Liliom (1928), and Sidney Howard's They Knew What They Wanted (1929).
"[6] When Oliver Hinsdell, director of the Dallas Little Theater from 1923–31, was engaged as an acting coach for MGM, McCoy followed him to Hollywood to become a film actor.
[7] The film Bad for Each Other (1953), for which McCoy received co-screenwriting credit (with Irving Wallace), was based on his novel Scalpel (1952) which was uncredited.
[8] McCoy was also recognized for the story, in the closing credits, of the Samantha Crawford character debut in the Maverick television series titled "According to Hoyle" starring James Garner, Diane Brewster and Leo Gordon.