About Don Payne (writer)
William Donald Payne (May 5, 1964 – March 26, 2013) was an American writer and producer. He wrote several episodes of The Simpsons after 2000, many of these with John Frink, whom he met while studying at the University of California, Los Angeles. The duo began their careers writing for the short-lived sitcom Hope and Gloria. Payne later moved into writing feature films, including My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), and co-wrote Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Thor (2011) and its sequel Thor: The Dark World (2013). Payne died from heart failure caused by bone cancer in March 2013. == Early life == Payne was born on May 5, 1964, in Wilmington, North Carolina. He attended New Hanover High School, graduating in 1982; he had been class president. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, then transferred to and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he also received a Master of Fine Arts degree in screenwriting. Payne later taught the course. == Career == === Early career === He began his career as a writer for several sitcoms together with his writing partner at the time, John Frink.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.