WILTON SCHILLER

July 24, 1919 - July 27, 2014
Wilton Schiller, writer and producer for hundreds of TV's most iconic network shows in his 50-year-career which spanned the Golden Years of television and beyond from series "Lassie" to "The Fugitive", died peacefully July 27 at age 95 at home in Studio City, California, with his wife of 39 years, Patricia Payne Schiller, at his side. The cause of death was heart failure.
Over the course of his career, he wrote hundreds of television series episodes such as the original "Superman" series, as well as "The Adventures of Superman," "Leave it to Beaver," "Dragnet," "Have Gun Will Travel," "Broken Arrow," "Rawhide," "Adam 12" and "M Squad."
He wrote for "The Fugitive" and produced the last year of the series, with the final episode breaking all U.S. records for viewership. Recently the series was included in the top 101 television series of the last 7 decades by the Writers Guild of America.
Schiller also produced the classic television series "Ben Casey" and "Mannix," was executive story consultant for "Six Million Dollar Man," and co-wrote the two-part movie-of-the-week "Captain America" with his wife, Patricia Payne. Together Schiller and Payne co-wrote and produced the record-breaking six-hour Australian historical miniseries "For The Term of His Natural Life."
Schiller pioneered co-productions with Chester Krumholz between the U.S. and Canada in the early 1970's with television series "Simon Locke," starring Jack Albertson, "Police Surgeon" which featured names such as Martin Sheen, John Candy, William Shatner and Leslie Nielson, and a movie-of-the-week "The Man Inside" starring James Franciscus and Stefanie Powers.
He wrote the screenplay for the movie "The New Interns" starring George Segal, and was executive producer of the Payne-produced movie "California Dreaming" starring Lea Thompson.
Schiller also taught screenwriting at UCLA in the 1960's.
A native of Chicago, Schiller graduated from the University of Chicago, and began his career in his hometown, working as a writer in radio and performing standup comedy. In WWII, Schiller served as a psychiatric assistant in the Army.
After the war's end, Schiller went to Hollywood, beginning as a literary agent at MCA and worked with several of the major celebrities of the time.
On the news of his passing, Australian film producer friend, Lesley Stevens, commented "So no more fabulous stories, no more witticisms, no more extempore poetry or quotes or outpourings of encyclopedic knowledge. So be it. We live. We die. But Wilt filled in the in-between bits like no one else I know."
Recently Schiller was sitting in a park with his eyes closed and his wife suggested he open them and see the world. He responded, closed-eyed, "I have seen the world and it is rather nice".
He leaves his wife Patricia Payne Schiller, nephew Roger Reinhart; grandnephews Neal, Paul and Scott Sobel; cousins Michael and Arthur Keith; second cousins Joyce Rumack, Laura Pear, Russel Skoller, David and Bruce Rosky, Elliot, Dan, Alan and Laurence Tyson; grandson Dorian Swerdlow and great granddaughter Julia Swerdlow, and families of the above. He also leaves his sister-in-law Barbara Parker and brothers-in-law Tom Parker, Neville Heap and Barry Payne, and their families in Australia.
There will be no funeral service, as he requested, but his family and close friends plan a celebration of his life.
Donations may be sent to Doctors without Borders or a favorite charity.