Stephen J. Cannell

Stephen J. Cannell (born May 2, 1941) (pronounced CAN-ULL) is an Emmy award winning television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor from the USA. Noted for sophisticated, character-driven writing within genre formats, Cannell has created or co-created nearly 40 different shows, including The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish. In the process he has scripted more than 350 episodes, and produced or executive produced in excess of 1,500 episodes.

Television

Cannell has worked on numerous TV projects, some of which are listed below

Bibliography

Cannell is also a bestselling author, having written the following novels. The noted novels feature the character of Detective Shane Scully of the LAPD

Cold Hit (Scully)
Vertical Coffin (Scully)
Runaway Heart
Hollywood Tough (Scully)
The Viking Funeral (Scully)
The Tin Collectors (Scully)
The Devil's Workshop
Riding The Snake
King Con
Final Victim
The Plan

Film

Cannell is working on several projects in this area, most notably a film version of The A-Team.

Trivia

The closing logo of his production company features him typing, before throwing the sheet from his typewriter whereupon it animates to become his company logo. It was updated often, the main differences being Cannell's clothes, sometimes new awards in the background and (rarely) a new office for the live-action part.

On "The Simpsons" in the episode "The Front" when Bart and Lisa watch a particularly bad episode of their favorite cartoon, watch the cartoon's closing logo with a version of Cannell's typewriting, but instead Itchy and Scratchy throwing the piece of paper away to signal the end of the episode, and "Itchy and Scratchy Studios" appears. Lisa and Bart say "ahhh!" in a tuneful piece of the show.

Cannell is dyslexic, and is a spokesperson on the subject.

Cannell is married with children.

Cannell graduated from the University of Oregon in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in journalism.

External links