Ed Spielman (born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York City, US) is a writer and executive producer for television and film, an author and journalist. He is the creator of the Emmy Award winning TV series ''

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

''. Spielman wrote the story and

teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or a ...

for the series pilot (which was co-written with his friend Howard Friedlander). The pilot of ''Kung Fu'' has been credited as "the first American Martial Arts film." On the week ending May 6, 1973, ''

'' became the No. 1 show on US television, drawing a regular audience of 28 million viewers. He also created the Emmy Award winning TV series ''

The Young Riders ''The Young Riders'' is an American Western television series created by Ed Spielman that presents a fictionalized account of a group of young Pony Express riders (some of whom are young versions of legendary figures in Old West history) based ...

'' starring

Stephen Baldwin Stephen Andrew Baldwin (born May 12, 1966) is an American actor. He has appeared in the films ''Born on the Fourth of July (film), Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989), ''Posse (1993 film), Posse'' (1993), ''8 Seconds'' (1994), ''Threesome (1994 ...

and

Josh Brolin Josh James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. A son of actor James Brolin, he gained fame in his youth for his role in the adventure film ''The Goonies'' (1985). After years of decline, Brolin had a resurgence with his starr ...

. Another of his television series, '' Dead Man's Gun'' (which debuted on Showtime in 1997, and which he produced in partnership with MGM Productions, Henry Winkler, Howard Spielman, and Sugar Entertainment, Ltd.) was nominated for three cable ACE Awards (including Best Dramatic Series) and received six LEO nominations. Spielman has the rare distinction of being the only writer/producer in television history to have created and placed a Western series on the air — every decade for thirty years — at a time when Westerns were not even in vogue. Spielman authored a biography of adventurer and health philosopher Joe Greenstein titled ''The Mighty Atom: The Life and Times of Joseph L. Greenstein'', released in 1979. According to a reviewer with the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

, ''The Mighty Atom'' was "one of the year's best books.". The book was later rereleased as ''The Spiritual Journey of Joseph L. Greenstein: The Mighty Atom, World's Strongest Man''. The

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

has awarded Spielman personally the Western Heritage Award four times, and his shows seven times. Spielman is currently an executive producer developing his original ''Kung Fu'' television series into a feature film at Universal Pictures. A life-long classic car and Italian motorcycle enthusiast, he is a member of the Ventura Sports & Race Car Club and he is the Master of Ceremonies at their yearly concours events. Spielman lives in Southern California with Bonnie (his wife of 50 years), a house full of rescued pets and a small fleet of vintage cars and motorcycles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spielman, Ed American television writers American television show creators American television producers American film producers 20th-century American journalists Writers from New York City Living people Year of birth missing (living people)