Ron Koslow obit

Ron Koslow, Creator of TV’s ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ Dies at 81

The St. Louis native also received sole screenplay credit on the films ‘Lifeguard,’ ‘Firstborn’ and ‘Into the Night.’ 

He was not on the list.

Ron Koslow, the three-time Emmy nominee who brought the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast into modern times for the beloved CBS fantasy series that starred Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman, has died. He was 81.

Koslow died Oct. 7 at his home in Brentwood, his family announced.

Koslow also wrote the screenplay for films including Daniel Petrie’s Lifeguard (1976), starring Sam Elliott; Michael Apted’s Firstborn (1984), starring Teri Garr and Peter Weller; and John Landis’ Into the Night (1985), starring Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer.

The writer-producer set his Beauty and the Beast in a fantastical subway world beneath New York City, with Hamilton portraying an assistant district attorney and Perlman the mythic, noble man-beast.

The series, from Witt/Thomas Productions, ran for three seasons, from September 1987 through August 1990 — George R.R. Martin, Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa were among the writers and producers — then spawned a CW reboot that aired for four seasons, from 2012-16.

Koslow “was fond of saying that New York City is ‘a mythic place,'” Martin told THR‘s Seth Abramovitch in a 2017 interview. “Its powers and its lights. When you step back from it and look at it from a distance, there’s a magical aspect to New York itself.”

Along the way, Koslow received Emmy noms for outstanding writing in a drama series in 1988 and for outstanding drama series in ’88 and ‘89.

One of three boys, Koslow was born in St. Louis on April 9, 1945, and raised in the Missouri city and Los Angeles. He attended the University of California Berkeley and UCLA film school before earning a law degree from Loyola University and becoming a member of the California Bar.

Koslow also created the ABC drama My Life and Times, which aired six episodes in 1991; co-created with Shaun Cassidy the Fox fantasy drama Roar, which aired eight episodes in 1997; and co-created with Trevor Munson the CBS drama Moonlight, which aired 16 episodes in 2007-08. And he served as an executive producer on the 2002-03 WB superhero series Birds of Prey.

Survivors include his sister, Judy, brother-in-law Stefan and nieces Jenna and Lily.

Koslow “was known for his imagination and his ability to tell stories rooted in the deepest parts of the human experience,” his family noted. “His work explored the transformative power of love, the complexities of human connection and the extraordinary possibilities of worlds beyond our own.”

 

Writer

Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan in Beauty and the Beast (2012)

Beauty and the Beast

7.0

TV Series

based on the series created bycreator

2012–2016

70 episodes

 

Moonlight (2007)

Moonlight

7.6

TV Series

created bywritten bycreator

2007–2008

16 episodes

 

Roar (1997)

Roar

7.2

TV Series

created bywritten bycreator

1997

13 episodes

 

Sharon Stone in Last Dance (1996)

Last Dance

5.7

story screenplay

1996

 

Sherwood's Travels (1994)

Sherwood's Travels

6.4

Writer

1994

 

Kim Cattrall and Billy Zane in Running Delilah (1993)

Running Delilah

4.8

TV Movie

teleplaystory

1993

 

Tom Irwin in My Life and Times (1991)

My Life and Times

7.6

TV Series

storywritten bycreated by ...

1991

4 episodes

 

Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman in Beauty and the Beast (1987)

Beauty and the Beast

7.0

TV Series

created bywritten byteleplay by ...

1987–1990

55 episodes

 

Into the Night (1985)

Into the Night

6.4

written by

1985

 

Christopher Collet in Firstborn (1984)

Firstborn

6.2

written by

1984

 

Swan Song (1980)

Swan Song

6.7

TV Movie

Writer

1980

 

Dyan Cannon in Lady of the House (1978)

Lady of the House

7.7

TV Movie

Writer

1978

 

Lifeguard (1976)

Lifeguard

6.6

written by

1976

 

Producer

Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan in Beauty and the Beast (2012)

Beauty and the Beast

7.0

TV Series

executive producer

2012–2016

57 episodes

 

Moonlight (2007)

Moonlight

7.6

TV Series

executive producer

2007–2008

16 episodes

 

Ashley Scott in Birds of Prey (2002)

Birds of Prey

6.4

TV Series

executive producer

2002–2003

10 episodes

 

Roar (1997)

Roar

7.2

TV Series

executive producer

1997

13 episodes

 

Sherwood's Travels (1994)

Sherwood's Travels

6.4

executive producer

1994

 

Kim Cattrall and Billy Zane in Running Delilah (1993)

Running Delilah

4.8

TV Movie

executive producer

1993

 

Tom Irwin in My Life and Times (1991)

My Life and Times

7.6

TV Series

executive producer

1991

6 episodes

 

Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman in Beauty and the Beast (1987)

Beauty and the Beast

7.0

TV Series

executive producersupervising producerproducer

1987–1990

39 episodes

 

Into the Night (1985)

Into the Night

6.4

producer

1985

 

Christopher Collet in Firstborn (1984)

Firstborn

6.2

co-producer

1984

 

Additional Crew

Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman in Beauty and the Beast (1987)

Beauty and the Beast

7.0

TV Series

executive consultant

1989–1990

8 episodes