Movies | October 01, 2010 | 7 comments

Stephen J. Cannell Has Died

source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/10/01/stephen.cannell.obit/index.html?...

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Legendary TV producer Stephen J. Cannell has died
By Alan Duke, CNN
October 1, 2010 4:26 p.m. EDT


Stephen J. Cannell produced many hit shows including "Greatest American Hero," "The A-Team," "21 Jump Street," and "Silk Stalkings."

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

* His family says Cannell died from complications associated with Melanoma
* Cannell's long list of iconic TV shows dates back to the 1970s
* Shows include "The Rockford Files," "The A-Team," "21 Jump Street"



Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Television producer Stephen J. Cannell, known for his work on shows including "21 Jump Street" and "The A-Team," died Thursday, his publicist said. Cannell was 69.

Cannell died from complications associated with melanoma at his Pasadena, California, home surrounded by family and loved ones, said a family statement.

He created, wrote and produced several iconic TV series, starting in the 1970s with "The Rockford Files."

His other hit series included: "Greatest American Hero," "The A-Team," "Hunter," "Riptide," "Hardcastle & McCormick," "21 Jump Street," "Wiseguy," "The Commish," "Profit," and syndicated shows "Renegade" and "Silk Stalkings."
Video: Stephen J. Cannell's 'At First Sight'

Viewers may best remember the trademark closing for Cannell's productions, which showed him at a typewriter tossing a sheet of paper over his shoulder.

He also acted, sometimes appearing in his own shows. Cannell had a recurring role on ABC-TV's hit series "Castle."

Cannell authored 16 novels, including the "Shane Scully" series.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Marcia, three children and three grandchildren, the family said.

Cannell overcame severe dyslexia as a child growing up in Pasadena, and later became a spokesman for the International Dyslexia Associationand an advocate for children and adults with learning disabilities.

He formed an independent production company, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, in 1979, which gave him control and ownership of his shows.

His studio is developing feature film versions of several of his hit TV shows, including "21 Jump Street" and "The Greatest American Hero." "The A-Team" movie was released in theaters last summer.

CNN's Jack Hannah contributed to this report.
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7 comments // Stephen J. Cannell Has Died

  • EthicalVegan
    • 0
      EthicalVegan  

    • http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/10/01/rip-stephen-j-cannell-remembering-the-great...

      R.I.P. Stephen J. Cannell: Remembering 'The Greatest American Hero' Creator

      Posted 2 hrs ago by Rick Marshall in Commentary

      Stephen J. CannellIf you grew up during the 1980s, it was hard to avoid the work of prolific television writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell, who was responsible in some form for many of the programs that defined the decade. That's why his death Thursday evening at age 69 is such a hard pill to swallow.

      In many ways, Cannell's resume reads like a road map of '80s culture, spider-webbed with programming that crossed the boundaries between generations. I watched Johnny Depp grow into adulthood on "21 Jump Street" while I was entering my own teenage years, and both my grandfather and I spent more than a few evenings watching James Garner play a down-on-his-luck gumshoe on "The Rockford Files."

      But it was "The Greatest American Hero" that I remember with the clearest — and fondest — memories.

      Cannell's award-winning series about a mild-mannered schoolteacher who receives a caped costume granting him nearly every superpower imaginable was not only a significant part of my childhood, but a part of my growth into an adult, too. Lead actor William Katt played the very fallible Ralph Hinkley who, like another favorite costumed character of mine, had both great power and great responsibility thrust upon him.

      And just like that other hero, Ralph Hinkley occasionally dropped the ball — often with disastrous results.

      I've always been a big fan of the underdog hero, and Ralph Hinkley's adventures in the red, white, and black suit made him one of the most unlikely heroes to ever punch through a wall or fly alongside an airplane. To be honest, I'm fairly certain Ralph Hinkley was the first live-action version of a capes-and-tights superhero I'd ever seen, and one can only imagine how it affected me to see him crash into the side of a building.

      The superheroes in my comic books never made a mistake, but Ralph Hinkley was always more like, well... me. That was the genius of Cannell's creation.

      Greatest American Hero

      The first few episodes of "The Greatest American Hero" were all written by Cannell, and in my mind, they're the best of the bunch in the long-running series. It was Cannell's decision to avoid "save the world"-style problems for Hinkley and his supersuit to solve, and instead deal with everyday issues we all face — or at the very least, the sort we hear about on the news each night.

      With "The Greatest American Hero," Cannell wasn't trying to give us a new Superman in Ralph Hinkley — far from it, in fact. Hinkley was intended to be an everyman who was truly human, with all of the faults that come with it, but willing to do what he could to better the world — even if he had to trip, fall, and crash his way to a solution. And I was there for every episode.

      "The Greatest American Hero" ran for just three seasons, but in my mind, it was the project I've always associated with Cannell. Whether it's the memories of running around the lawn in a cape during the series' initial run or, decades later, dressing up as Ralph Hinkley for Halloween the year the series was released on DVD, Cannell's story of an underdog hero has always resonated with me — and I'm quite sure I'm not alone.

      So, with that in mind, rest in peace, Stephen J. Cannell — creator of great heroes.

    • 1 year ago
  • EthicalVegan
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    • EthicalVegan:

      http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/detail.jsp?contentId=203466

      Stephen J. Cannell—Iconic TV Producer of The A-Team, Johnny Depp Starmaker—Dead

      Today 11:57 AM PDT by Joal Ryan

      James Garner, Mr. T, Johnny Depp, Stephen J. Cannell CBS; Bob Riha Jr/WireImage.com; Fox; Tony Barson/WireImage

      The A-Team. The Rockford Files. 21 Jump Street.

      Stephen J. Cannell, who produced those hits and many, many more cop and action shows you grew up on, died Thursday night at his Los Angeles-area home. He was 69, and had been battling melanoma.

      The prolific writer/producer's other credits included Wiseguy, Hunter, The Commish and The Greatest American Hero, one of the few caped-crusader shows to take successfully flight in the early 1980s.

      The big screen has long coveted Cannell's biggest timeless hits. An A-Team movie, featuring Liam Neeson and others going where George Peppard and Mr. T memorably went in the 1983-87 adventure series, opened to mixed critical and box office results this past summer. Film versions of The Greatest American Hero and 21 Jump Street are currently in development.

      The latter series, launched in 1987, propelled one of its young unknowns, a scrawny teen named Johnny Depp, to stardom.

      Recently, NBC considered reviving The Rockford Files, the acclaimed 1970s James Garner P.I. series that earned Cannell his first and only Emmy. But the network didn't pick up the Dermot Mulroney pilot for the fall.

      In addition to his TV work, Cannell was a best-selling detective novelist.

      "Through the legacy of his body of work…he will always be with us," a statement on his website said, "living on in our hearts and minds, with fond memories forever."

      PHOTOS: Remembering Stephen J. Cannell (1941-2010)

      Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/detail.jsp?contentId=203466#ixzz119Kj69uk

      http://images.eonline.com/resize/100/100/0-0-293-293/eol_images/Entire_Site/2010...

    • 1 year ago
  • EthicalVegan
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    • EthicalVegan:

      http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/10/01/stephen-j-cannell-friends-and-fans-remember...

      Oct 1 2010 03:58 PM ET

      Stephen J. Cannell: Friends and fans remember the TV producer
      by Emily Exton

      Friends and celebrity fans of television legend Stephen J. Cannell have issued comments — or taken to their Twitter accounts — to mourn the late writer and producer, who died Thursday at 69 years old. Here’s what they’ve said:

      Kevin Spacey, who starred in Cannell’s Wiseguy, to EW: “Stephen J. Cannell gave me my very first break in television when he cast me as Mel Profitt in the CBS series Wiseguy [in] 1997. The character was such a glorious creation on such a terrific series, which led to so many other opportunities for me as an actor, that I will never forget his grace, wit, style of writing and ability to bring such memorable work to television. From Rockford Files to Black Sheep Squadron, his impact on emerging writing talent – which he always gave support toward – continues to bring great writing to actors and directors in the film industry. He has left a huge legacy that his family, friends and colleagues can take great pride in. He was a giant.”

      Rob Estes, who starred in Cannell’s Silk Stalkings, to EW: “Stephen brought a down-to-earth and human touch to every aspect of his life, including his producing. He was a wonderful mentor and a wonderful friend.”

      Patton Oswalt: “In memory of Stephen J. Cannell, everyone rip a sheet of paper out of your typewriter and let it fall to the ground.”

      Jeri Ryan: “Wow. Rest in Peace, Stephen J. Cannell. The man was a tv legend.”

      Holly Robinson Peete: “Rest In Peace Stephen J. Cannell…thank you for taking a chance on me in ’86…I will never forget you, I love you…”

      Gregg Hurwitz: “Stephen Cannell passed away today. The ultimate gentleman. Rest in peace.”

      Frank Conniff: “And so Celebrity Carnage Week ends with the death of one more talented individual. Rest In Peace, Stephen J. Cannell.”

      Robin Leach: “Stephen Cannell was loved in Hollywood as a real standup guy and gentle-man. Tragic death at just 69 years of age from melanoma.”

      http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/images/a/6923.jpg

    • 1 year ago
  • EthicalVegan
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      EthicalVegan  
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    • EthicalVegan:

      http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/10/stephen-j-cannell-prolific-t...

      The Los Angeles Times

      Stephen J. Cannell, prolific TV producer, dies
      October 1, 2010 | 11:45 am

      Stephen J. Cannell, bestselling novelist and Emmy-winning TV producer of hits like "The Rockford Files" and "21 Jump Street," died at his Pasadena home of complications of melanoma on Thursday. He was 69.

      Cannell's family released the following statement about the producer who wrote for iconic series including "Adam-12," "Mission: Impossible" and "It Takes a Thief" before founding a company that churned out classic action adventure series "The A-Team," "The Greatest American Hero" and a string of other franchises:

      "Aside from being a legendary television producer and prolific writer, Stephen was also a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, and a loyal friend. Mr. Cannell is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 46 years, Marcia, their three children, Tawnia, Chelsea and Cody and three grandchildren. Stephen was a pillar of strength within his family and he touched everyone he met. He will be most deeply missed."

      Cannell, who famously wrote scripts on an old IBM Selectric typewriter, told Success magazine recently that he'd been getting up at 4 a.m. for 40 years to write and that he never tired of the process, even though he'd battled dyslexia as a youngster. (He employed what he called "a mop and pail crew" to clean up his prose.)

      "One of my work ethic traits comes from the fact that I absolutely love what I do. I've never felt that writing was work," he told the publication. "I get up every morning, and I'm not going to work, I'm going to play. I get to play cops and robbers."

      His latest novel, "The Prostitutes' Ball," the 10th in the Shane Scully series, is set for publication Oct. 12.

      There's already a fan outpouring of affection and condolences on Cannell's Facebook page, with one commenter writing, "your creativity and imagination helped mold my childhood and influenced me as a burgeoning writer."

      Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or the International Dyslexia Assn., the family said, with details about a memorial service still to come.

      -- T.L. Stanley

      Photo: Stephen J. Cannell in 2000. Credit: Los Angeles Times.

    • 1 year ago
  • EthicalVegan
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      http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/10/hollywood-friends-colleagues...

      David Chase, Steven Bochco and other Hollywood folks remember Stephen J. Cannell
      October 1, 2010 | 3:25 pm

      Before Stephen J. Cannell, television's heroes tended to be square-jawed, flawless, never-a-hair-out-of-place kind of guys. But the creator of series such as "The Rockford Files" and "The A-Team" changed that.

      "His characters had weaknesses -- they were fallible human beings," said David Chase, who worked early in his career with the prolific producer on "The Rockford Files." "That was the beginning of viewers seeing a TV protagonist as someone like themselves."

      That's one of Cannell's myriad contributions to the TV landscape, with his friends and former colleagues speaking Friday about his influence on the business and his deep love of his craft. Cannell, a bestselling novelist and Emmy-winning producer, died Thursday at his Pasadena home of complications of melanoma. He was 69 and had been in the entertainment industry for four decades, creating star-making series including "21 Jump Street" and classics such as "The Greatest American Hero."

      Fans kept up a steady stream of posts on Cannell's Facebook page on Friday, and Holly Robinson Peete said on her Twitter account, "Rest in peace, Stephen J. Cannell. Thank you for taking a chance on me in '86. I will never forget you. I love you." Comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted, "In honor of Stephen J. Cannell ... everyone rip a sheet of paper out of your typewriter and let it fall to the ground."

      Oswalt was referring to Cannell's memorable TV logo -- see the above video clip -- inspired by the producer's love of his old school IBM Selectric typewriter (yes, that's him flinging paper).

      Steven Bochco, who'd been friends and colleagues with Cannell since the early '70s, said every young writer on the Universal lot would stop by Cannell's office to read scripts from "The Rockford Files."

      "They were so smart and so funny, and he and his team were just knocking them out one after the other," Bochco said. "He was not a cookie-cutter writer -- he was completely original."

      Bochco pointed to Cannell's "boundless imagination" as the source for his many shows, including "Wiseguy," "The Commish" and "Hardcastle and McCormick." "He was a master craftsman, and he always did his homework," Bochco said. "He never faked it."

      "As gifted and talented as he was, we all loved him because he was just one of the dearest people alive," Bochco said. He and other friends had been able to visit with Cannell in recent weeks to say their goodbyes. "I got the chance to hug him and tell him I loved him."

      Warren Littlefield, a former executive at NBC, worked with Cannell on a number of projects in the '80s, including "Hunter." "He was so passionate about his work -- he just loved it," Littlefield said. "And he was so disciplined. He had this whole army of people working on multiple series and he managed it all so well."

      The environment he fostered ended up spawning a generation of writer-producers, Littlefield said, including Chase, creator of the seminal mob series "The Sopranos."

      Cannell's workplace was "supportive, decent, friendly, which doesn't exist much anymore," Chase said. "There was something very earnest and boyishly honest about him. I learned so much from him."

      NBC got a huge boost in the '80s from the Cannell touch, Littlefield said. "He understood what I'd call the vitamins and minerals of what the audience needed," he said. "The daily grind of life can be so difficult for lots of people, and his shows would let you forget all that for an hour and just enjoy the thrill of the adventure."

      Cannell made TV feel larger than it was, Littlefield said.

      "TV was going through growth and change at that time, trying to reflect the production values of the big screen," Littlefield said. "Stephen was an architect of that change. He made TV feel big and exciting."

      Fred Dryer, a former pro football player who starred in the crime drama "Hunter," said Cannell was incredibly skilled at nurturing young talent.

      "I got more than a paycheck and a starring role working with Stephen," Dyer said. "I got an education. And it really paved the way for the rest of my life."

      -- T.L. Stanley

    • 1 year ago
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