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‘The Fugitive’ Producer Dies at 95 — He Wrote for a Number of Classic TV Hits

Aug 1, 2014  •  Post A Comment

The co-producer of the final season of the ABC drama “The Fugitive” has died. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wilton Schiller died Sunday at 95.

His wife, Patricia Payne Schiller, told the publication he died peacefully at home.

Schiller also wrote episodes of “The Fugitive,” as well as series including “Leave It to Beaver” and “Lassie,” among other shows. The final installment of “The Fugitive” drew a then-record 78 million viewers, who tuned in to watch the episode “The Judgment Part II,” when accused murderer Richard Kimble clears his name as he finds the one-armed man who killed his wife.

“The episode was at the time the most-watched series episode in TV history, viewed in 25.7 million households as 45.9 percent of American households with a set tuned in. The viewership record was held until the Nov. 21, 1980, episode of ‘Dallas’ that revealed who shot J.R. Ewing,” the story reports.

Schiller also was executive story consultant for “The Six Million Dollar Man” and produced for “Ben Casey” and “Mannix.”

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