Glen A. Larson, Creator Of ‘Knight Rider,’ ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ Has Died
Glen A. Larson, the creative force behind some of televisions biggest, most beloved franchises, has died. He was 77. Larson was the writer and producer of such iconic TV shows as Knight Rider, Magnum, P.I., Battlestar Galactica, The Six Million Dollar Man, Quincy, M.E., and The Fall Guy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Larson died of esophageal cancer on Friday night, and his son made the announcement earlier today.
Glen A. Larson first broke into show business as a singer in a pop group called The Four Preps, who worked the television circuit, and he and his group wrote songs to be used as TV themes. Larson used his foot in the door to land his first writing gig, and was soon creating television programs that featured some of the best leads in entertainment history.
Larson found Tom Selleck and cast him as Thomas Magnum in his hit CBS series, cast David Hasselhoff and put him behind the wheel of a sleek, black Trans-am voiced by William Daniels for NBC in Knight Rider, and he even capitalized on the Star Wars craze in the late 1970s with Battlestar Galactica.
Many in the industry though that Larson’s success was derived from the work of others, accusing the creator of ripping off other properties such as Battlestar Galactica’s comparisons to Star Wars and Star Trek, and his show, B.J. and The Bear closely resembling the hit 1977 Burt Reynolds film, Smokey and the Bandit. Science fiction legend Harlan Ellison even referred to Larson as “Glen A. Larceny.”
No matter where he got his ides, Glen A. Larson proved to be a hit maker, as each show he produced went on to ratings gold in the late ’70s and throughout the 1980s. As a high school friend of Robert Wagner (Heart to Heart, Austin Powers films), Larson’s rise to TV royalty was foretold by his hard work and his unique ability to tap into what people wanted to watch.
Even as the film studios tried to sue him — most notably 20th Century Fox in 1977 for Galactica’s proximity to Star Wars — Larson kept going. He even had issues with many of his stars, including Jack Klugman on Quincy, M.E., but Larson was always able to surround himself with good people, and in the case of Klugman, Larson left the producing responsibilities in the hands of his sometimes partner, Donald P. Bellisario, who was a creative force in his own right.
In recent years, Larson served as a executive producer on the Sci-Fi Channel’s Battlestar Galatica reboot and, as the Inquisitr reported, another Galactica reboot was in the works. Larson was also developing his other properties into possible film projects at the time of his passing. Glen A. Larson was the creator of some of TV’s most legendary shows — and characters — and he will be missed.
Rest in peace, Mr. Larson.
[Image courtesy of Entertainment Weekly]
