Allan Cole obit

Allan Cole, Television Writer and Best-Selling Author, Dies at 75

 Allan Cole, who wrote for shows like 'Magnum, P.I.,' 'The A-Team' and 'Hunter' and co-authored the 'Sten' series of sci-fi books, died Friday of cancer in Boca Raton, Florida, the WGA West announced. He was 75.

He was not on the list.

Allan Cole, who wrote for such shows as Magnum, P.I., The A-Team and Hunter and co-authored the Sten series of sci-fi books, died Friday of cancer in Boca Raton, Florida, the WGA West announced. He was 75.

He and his late partner, Chris Bunch, sold more than 150 television and film scripts, earning credits on those and other shows like Quincy, M.E.; The Incredible Hulk; and Walker, Texas Ranger. They also served as story editors on Galactica 1980, Code Red, Gavilan and Werewolf.

The pair were probably best known for their Sten science-fiction book series as well as a critically acclaimed 1987 Vietnam novel, A Reckoning for Kings, about the 1968 Tet Offensive.

The son of a CIA operative, the Philadelphia-born Cole worked as a newsman for 14 years at several Los Angeles-area newspapers, including the Inglewood Daily News, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and the Santa Monica Outlook, where he served as city editor and national news editor.

He and Bunch penned an eight-volume science fiction series beginning with Sten in 1982. It was a worldwide hit, especially in Russia, where it sold more than 10 million copies. Later, Cole co-authored a fantasy novel, The Hate Parallax, with Russian fantasy author Nick Perumov.

He also wrote several historical and fantasy novels with Bunch, including The Far Kingdoms and The Shannon Trilogy.

His recent books included Lucky in Cyprus, about his life as a CIA brat during the height of the Cold War; My Hollywood MisAdventures, a comical look at his years as a screenwriter with Bunch; Tales of the Blue Meanie, set in Venice, California, during the ’60s; and SOS, a novel about the U-boat attacks in Florida during World War II.

Survivors include his wife, Kathryn (Bunch’s sister); his children Jason, Susan Beck and Alissia; his brothers David and Drew; and eight grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Cole’s name to the Writers Guild Foundation.

 

Writer

Jonathan Haagensen in Hardball (2006)

Hardball

Short

co-writer

2006

 

Chuck Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)

Walker, Texas Ranger

5.7

TV Series

written by

1994–1998

2 episodes

 

Janet Gunn, Clayton Prince, and Ramy Zada in Dark Justice (1991)

Dark Justice

7.3

TV Series

written by

1991

1 episode

 

Shades of LA (1990)

Shades of LA

7.1

TV Series

Writer

1990

1 episode

 

Hardball (1989)

Hardball

7.2

TV Series

writer

1990

1 episode

 

Chuck Connors, Lance LeGault, and John J. York in Werewolf (1987)

Werewolf

7.8

TV Series

story editorwritten by

1987–1988

20 episodes

 

Dinosaucers (1987)

Dinosaucers

6.4

TV Series

written by

1987

1 episode

 

Lucille Bliss, Danny Goldman, Don Messick, and Alan Oppenheimer in The Smurfs (1981)

The Smurfs

7.2

TV Series

Writer (segment "Castaway Smurfs")

1987

1 episode

 

Buster Jones, Loren Lester, Sarah Partridge, Peter Renaday, Lou Richards, Peter Mark Richman, and Dion Williams in Defenders of the Earth (1986)

Defenders of the Earth

6.9

TV Series

written byWriter

1986

6 episodes

 

Robert Blake in Hell Town (1985)

Hell Town

7.0

TV Series

staff writer

1985

2 episodes

 

MacGruder and Loud (1985)

MacGruder and Loud

6.9

TV Series

written byWriter

1985

3 episodes

 

Jessie (1984)

Jessie

7.2

TV Movie

Writer

1984

 

Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer in Hunter (1984)

Hunter

6.9

TV Series

writer

1984

1 episode

 

Tony Lo Bianco and Lindsay Wagner in Jessie (1984)

Jessie

6.9

TV Series

written by

1984

1 episode

 

Lee Van Cleef, Shô Kosugi, and Timothy Van Patten in The Master (1984)

The Master

4.6

TV Series

story

1984

1 episode

 

George Peppard, Mr. T, Dirk Benedict, and Dwight Schultz in The A-Team (1983)

The A-Team

7.5

TV Series

written by

1984

1 episode

 

Robert Urich in Gavilan (1982)

Gavilan

6.1

TV Series

head writer

1982

1 episode

 

Lorne Greene, Andrew Stevens, Julie Adams, and Sam J. Jones in Code Red (1981)

Code Red

7.1

TV Series

story editorwritten by

1981

2 episodes

 

The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979)

The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo

6.5

TV Series

story by

1979–1981

2 episodes

 

Jack Klugman in Quincy, M.E. (1976)

Quincy, M.E.

7.3

TV Series

writerstory

1979–1981

3 episodes

 

Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. (1980)

Magnum, P.I.

7.5

TV Series

written by

1981

1 episode

 

The Big Black Pill (1981)

The Big Black Pill

5.9

TV Movie

Writer (uncredited)

1981

 

Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby in The Incredible Hulk (1977)

The Incredible Hulk

7.0

TV Series

written byteleplay

1980–1981

4 episodes

 

Gil Gerard and Erin Gray in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

6.9

TV Series

written by

1980

2 episodes

 

Kate Mulgrew in Mrs. Columbo (1979)

Mrs. Columbo

5.7

TV Series

story (as Alan Cole)

1979

1 episode

 

Paris (1979)

Paris

5.7

TV Series

Writer

1979–1980

 

Additional Crew

Lorne Greene, Andrew Stevens, Julie Adams, and Sam J. Jones in Code Red (1981)

Code Red

7.1

TV Series

story editor

1982

1 episode

 

Galactica 1980 (1980)

Galactica 1980

5.5

TV Series

story editor

1980

7 episodes

 

Actor

Anson Mount, Serinda Swan, and Iwan Rheon in Inhumans (2017)

Inhumans

4.9

TV Series

Outspoken Inhuman (as Allen Clifford Cole)

2017

1 episode

 

Scott Speedman in Last Resort (2012)

Last Resort

7.3

TV Series

Boat Captain (as Allen Cole)

2012

1 episode

 

Scott Caan, Chi McBride, Meaghan Rath, Ian Anthony Dale, Alex O'Loughlin, and Beulah Koale in Hawaii Five-0 (2010)

Hawaii Five-0

7.4

TV Series

Remo Julian (as Allen Cole)

2011

1 episode

 

Naveen Andrews, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Daniel Dae Kim, Emilie de Ravin, Matthew Fox, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Yunjin Kim, Dominic Monaghan, Terry O'Quinn, Harold Perrineau, Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Watros, Maggie Grace, and Evangeline Lilly in Lost (2004)

Lost

8.3

TV Series

Sergeant (as Allen Cole)

2010

1 episode

 

North Shore (1987)

North Shore

6.6

Ed Lusky (as Alan Cole)

1987

 

Editorial Department

Chuck Connors, Lance LeGault, and John J. York in Werewolf (1987)

Werewolf

7.8

TV Series

story editor

1988

1 episode

 

Script and Continuity Department

Chuck Connors, Lance LeGault, and John J. York in Werewolf (1987)

Werewolf

7.8

TV Series

story editor

1987–1988

3 episodes