Peter S. Fischer
Introduction '''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'', which he co-created with Richard Levinson and William Link.
Early life 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.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. He decided to pursue screenwriting as a career, and relocated to Los Angeles.
Writing career ===Television===Fischer wrote for the television series ''Baretta'' and  ''Kojak''. He created, produced and wrote for the NBC series ''The Eddie Capra Mysteries''. He was also a story editor on ''Columbo''.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. 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. He later wrote the television films ''Stranger at My Door'' (1991) and ''Dead Man's Island'' (1996), which was his last credit in television.===Novels===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.
Personal life and death In 1957, Fischer married Lucille Warnock. They had three children and were married until her death in 2017.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.
Filmography ===Films=== Year  Film  Credit  Notes 1971''The Last Child''Written By 1975''A Cry for Help''Written By 1977''Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for a Hanging''Story By, Screenplay By, Produced ByCo-Wrote Story with "Richard Levinson" and "William Link" 1979''Donovan's Kid''Story By 1981''Hellinger's Law''Story By, Screenplay ByCo-Wrote screenplay with "Ted Leighton" and "Jack Laird"1991''Tagget''Screenplay ByCo-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 ByBased on the novel of the same name by "Carolyn Hart"=== Television === Year  TV Series  Credit  Notes1972–1973''Marcus Welby, M.D. ''Writer3 Episodes''Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law''Writer2 Episodes 1973–1974''Griff''Writer3 Episodes 1974–1975''McMillan & Wife''Writer3 Episodes 1974–1995''Columbo''Writer, Executive Producer, Executive Story ConsultantMultiple Episodes1975''Baretta''Writer1 Episode''Kojak''Writer1 Episode 1975–1976''Ellery Queen''Writer, Producer22 Episodes1976''Delvecchio''Writer1 Episode''Once an Eagle''Writer, Producer4 Episodes 1977–1978''What Really Happened to the Class of '65? ''Writer2 Episodes1978''Black Beauty''Writer, Executive Producer''Richie Brockelman, Private Eye''Writer, Producer5 Episodes 1978–1979''The Eddie Capra Mysteries''Writer, Creator, Producer, Executive Producer12 Episodes 1979''The Magical World of Disney''Writer2 Episodes 1981–1982''Darkroom''Writer, Executive Producer 1984–1996''Murder, She Wrote''Writer, Creator, Executive ProducerMultiple Episodes 1986''Blacke's Magic''Writer, Executive Producer14 Episodes 1987–1988''The Law & Harry McGraw''Writer, Creator, Executive Producer
Novels === The Hollywood Murder Mysteries ===Source:* ''Jezebel in Blue Satin'' (2010)* ''We Don't Need no Stinking Badges'' (2011)* ''Love Has Nothing to Do with It'' (2011)* ''Everybody Wants an Oscar'' (2012)* ''The Unkindness of Strangers'' (2012)* ''Nice Guys Finish Dead'' (2013)* ''Pray For Us Sinners'' (2013)* ''Has Anybody Here Seen Wyckham?'' (2013)* ''Eyewitness to Murder'' (2014)* ''A Deadly Shoot in Texas'' (2016)* ''Everybody Let's Rock'' (2016)* ''A Touch of Homicide'' (2016)* ''Some Like Em Dead'' (2016)* ''Dead Men Pay No Debts'' (2016)* ''Apple Annie and the Dude'' (2017)* ''Till Death Us Do Part'' (2017)* ''Cue the Crows'' (2017)* ''Murder Aboard the Highland Rose'' (2018)* ''Ashes to Ashes'' (2018)* ''The Case of the Shaggy Stalker'' (2018)* ''Warner's Last Stand'' (2018)* ''The Man in the Raincoat'' (2019)=== Other novels ===* ''The Blood of Tyrants'' (2009)* ''The Terror of Tyrants'' (2010)* ''Expendable: A Tale of Love and War'' (2015)
References
External links ** Profile at Hollywood.com