Peter S. Fischer | |
---|---|
Born | Peter Steven Fischer August 10, 1935
Queens, New York City, U.S. |
Died | October 30, 2023 | (aged 88)
Alma mater | Hofstra University |
Occupations |
|
Years active |
|
Spouse |
Lucille Warnock
(
m. 1957; died 2017) |
Children | 3 |
Peter Steven Fischer (August 10, 1935 – October 30, 2023) was an American television writer, producer, and novelist. He was best known for the series Murder, She Wrote, [1] which he co-created with Richard Levinson and William Link.
Fischer was born in Queens on August 10, 1935, and took an interest in writing as a child. He graduated from Hofstra University in 1956. [2] Fischer held a series of jobs for the next several years, including editing trade publications and working in direct mail. During this time, he was a resident of Smithtown, New York. However, he sold the script The Last Child when he was 35 years old, and it was produced as a made-for-TV film. [2] He decided to pursue screenwriting as a career, and relocated to Los Angeles. [3]
Fischer wrote for the television series Baretta [1] and Kojak. He created, produced and wrote for the NBC series The Eddie Capra Mysteries. He was also a story editor on Columbo. [2]
Fischer was the executive producer of Murder, She Wrote for the first seven seasons from, 1984 to 1991. He wrote 8 of the 22 episodes the first season, and wrote or co-wrote nearly three dozen episodes of the show during its run. [4] He said the series was conceived with the idea to create a character that combined the fictional detective Miss Marple with her creator, Agatha Christie. [2] He later wrote the television films Stranger at My Door (1991) and Dead Man's Island (1996), which was his last credit in television. [1]
After more than a decade in retirement, Fischer began a new career in his seventies as a novelist. He wrote more than 20 novels in the Hollywood Murder Mysteries series, set during the Golden Age of Hollywood. [2]
In 1957, Fischer married Lucille Warnock. They had three children and were married until her death in 2017. [2]
Fischer lived in Pacific Grove, California, in his later years, and died at a care home there on October 30, 2023, at the age of 88. [2] [5]
Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1971 | The Last Child [2] | Written By | |
1975 | A Cry for Help | Written By | |
1977 | Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for a Hanging | Story By, Screenplay By, Produced By | Co-Wrote Story with " Richard Levinson" and " William Link" |
1979 | Donovan's Kid | Story By | |
1981 | Hellinger's Law | Story By, Screenplay By | Co-Wrote screenplay with "Ted Leighton" and " Jack Laird" |
1991 | Tagget | Screenplay By | Co-Wrote screenplay with "Janis Diamond" and " Richard T. Heffron" |
Stranger at My Door | Written By | ||
1992 | Coopersmith | Written By | |
1995 | Cops n Roberts | Written By, Executive Producer | |
1996 | Dead Man's Island | Screenplay By | Based on the novel of the same name by " Carolyn Hart" |
Year | TV Series | Credit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1972–1973 | Marcus Welby, M.D. [2] | Writer | 3 Episodes |
Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law [2] | Writer | 2 Episodes | |
1973–1974 | Griff | Writer | 3 Episodes |
1974–1975 | McMillan & Wife | Writer | 3 Episodes |
1974–1995 | Columbo [2] | Writer, Executive Producer, Executive Story Consultant | Multiple Episodes |
1975 | Baretta [2] | Writer | 1 Episode |
Kojak [2] | Writer | 1 Episode | |
1975–1976 | Ellery Queen | Writer, Producer | 22 Episodes |
1976 | Delvecchio | Writer | 1 Episode |
Once an Eagle | Writer, Producer | 4 Episodes | |
1977–1978 | What Really Happened to the Class of '65? | Writer | 2 Episodes |
1978 | Black Beauty | Writer, Executive Producer | |
Richie Brockelman, Private Eye | Writer, Producer | 5 Episodes | |
1978–1979 | The Eddie Capra Mysteries | Writer, Creator, Producer, Executive Producer | 12 Episodes |
1979 | The Magical World of Disney | Writer | 2 Episodes |
1981–1982 | Darkroom | Writer, Executive Producer | |
1984–1996 | Murder, She Wrote | Writer, Creator, Executive Producer | Multiple Episodes |
1986 | Blacke's Magic | Writer, Executive Producer | 14 Episodes |
1987–1988 | The Law & Harry McGraw | Writer, Creator, Executive Producer |
Source: [6]