Hotchner was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Sally (Rossman), an administrator, and Samuel Hotchner, a lawyer.[4] He attended Soldan High School. In 1940, he graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with degrees in both history (A.B.) and law (J.D.).[6] He briefly practiced law, then served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a journalist during World War II. When the war was over, he decided to forgo the law and pursue a career in writing. Hotchner's articles appeared in the best magazines and journals of the time. He has also been an editor, biographer, novelist and playwright. In 1948, Hotchner met Ernest Hemingway and the two were close friends until Hemingway's death in 1961. Hotchner is best known for Papa Hemingway, his 1966 biography of Hemingway, whose work he had adapted for plays and television. His play Sweet Prince was produced Off-Broadway in 1982 at the Theater Off-Park, starring Keir Dullea and Ian Abercrombie.[7] King of the Hill is Hotchner's evocative memoir of his childhood in St. Louis during the Great Depression. It was made into a film in 1993, screen-written and directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Hotchner founded Newman's Own, Inc., with his friend and neighbor, actor Paul Newman, in 1982.[6] All profits from this successful line of food products and other ventures are turned over to charities, including the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp that they established[8] in 1988 for children with life-threatening illnesses.
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