Born in
Manhattan, Karp worked for his living from an early age. His employment included selling shirts from an outdoor stand, theatre-ushering, leading a recreation group, and dish-washing. In 1942, he enlisted in the
United States Army and served in the
Signal Corps in the
Philippines and in Japan. Karp left the Army in 1946 and continued his interrupted education, graduating from the
City College of New York in 1948. He started his media career as a
continuity writer for a New York radio station and published his first novel in 1952. When writing for television he often tackled controversial topics. Karp was married to Lillian Klass Karp from 1944 until her death in 1987, after which he married Claire Leighton Karp. He had two sons, Ethan Ross Karp and Andrew Gabriel Karp, both of
Los Angeles. He died of
emphysema in
Pittsfield, Massachusetts. ==Novels==