GEORGE ECKSTEIN was a leading producer and writer for television from the early 1960s, who was best known for his work on the hit ABC drama series The Fugitive. He penned the 2-part series finale in 1967 that saw the long suffering title character, played by David Jannsen, clear his name by finding the one-armed man who murdered his wife. The episode set a record for a viewing audience that lasted for over a decade.
Eckstein was born in Los Angeles on May 3, 1928. He scripted his first tele-play, an episode of The Untouchables, in 1961. He wrote for several other drama series during the decade, and penned several episodes of the sci-fi series The Invaders. His work on that series included scripting the acclaimed 1967 episode The Summit Meeting.
He later produced many tele-films, including Death Takes a Holiday (1971) starring Monte Markham as the physical embodiment of death, and the thriller Duel (1971) which pitted Dennis Weaver against a demonic tanker truck. Scripted by Richard Matheson, Duel marked one of Steven Spielberg’s first directorial credits. Eckstein also produced the 1985 television remake of the thriller The Bad Seed about a psychopathic killer who happens to be a little girl.
Eckstein died of lung cancer at his home in Brentwood, California, on September 12, 2009, at age 81.
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