He was hired by NBC 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.
[5] In that role, he developed and produced the 1985 made-for-television production of An Early Frost, starring Aidan Quinn as a young man who must let his parents, played by Ben Gazzara and Gena Rowlands, know that he was dying of AIDS.
The critically acclaimed film won a Peabody Award and was one of the first network dramatic features to tackle the HIV /AIDS issue.
[1] He also worked on such television series as Star of the Family, The Danny Kaye Show, Robert Montgomery Presents, Studio One, and The Waltons.
[1] After he retired from working in television, Lafferty became a writer of mystery novels, including Jablonski of L.A. (1999) and The Downing of Flight Six Heavy (1992).