There is precious little certifiable biography available about Wharton / Du Aime. Many of the protagonists of Wharton's novels, despite having different names and backgrounds, have similar experiences, attitudes, and traits that lead one to presume that they are partly autobiographical. After the publication of Birdy and through the early 1990s, Du Aime published eight novels, including Dad and A Midnight Clear, both of which were also filmed, the former starring Jack Lemmon. Birdy was a critical and popular success, and Alan Parker directed a film version starring Nicolas Cage and Matthew Modine.

His first novel Birdy was published in 1978 when he was more than 50 years old.

After his discharge, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles and received a undergraduate degree in art and a doctorate in psychology, later teaching art in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He ended up being assigned to serve in the infantry and was severely wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He volunteered to serve in the United States Army during World War II, and was assigned to serve in a unit to be trained as engineers. He graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1943, and was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in 1997. Wharton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

William Wharton (7 November 1925 - 29 October 2008), the pen name of the author Albert William Du Aime (pronounced as doo-EM), was an American-born author best known for his first novel Birdy, which was also successful as a film.

Who is birdy