Richard Alan Simmons (October 11, 1924 – November 13, 2004) was a Canadian-American screenwriter. Simmons was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. After the war, he graduated from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

and then moved to California for a job with NBC radio, writing news and radio dramas. He moved into movies. He wrote the 1961 TV script for "The Price of Tomatoes" episode on "

The Dick Powell Show ''The Dick Powell Show'' is an American television anthology series that aired on NBC from September 26, 1961 until September 17, 1963, primarily sponsored by the Reynolds Metals Company. Overview The series was an anthology of various dram ...

", which was nominated for a writing Emmy and won an Emmy for star Peter Falk. He was survived by his wife of 53 years, Emily; three children and three grandchildren.Obituaries: Richard Alan Simmons. Variety; Los Angeles Vol. 397, Iss. 1, (Nov 22-Nov 28, 2004): 74.

Select credits

*'' The Lady Wants Mink'' (1953) *'' War Paint'' (1953) *''

Beachhead A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area as other reinforcements arrive. Once a large enough unit is assembled, the invading force can begin advancing inland. Th ...

'' (1954) *'' The Yellow Tomahawk'' (1954) *'' Shield for Murder'' (1954) *'' Three Hours to Kill'' (1954) *'' Bengal Brigade'' (1954) *'' The Looters'' (1955) *'' The Private War of Major Benson'' (1955) *'' Female on the Beach'' (1955) *'' Congo Crossing'' (1956) *'' The King and Four Queens'' (1956) *''

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

'' (1957) *'' The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown'' (1957) *'' Outlaw's Son'' (1957) *'' Tarawa Beachhead'' (1958) *'' The Trap'' (1959) *''

'' *'' Della'' (1964) *'' The Art of Love'' (1965) *''

The Trials of O'Brien ''The Trials of O'Brien'' is a 1965 television series starring Peter Falk as sordid, Shakespeare-quoting lawyer Daniel J. "Danny" O'Brien, and featuring Elaine Stritch as his secretary "Miss G", and Joanna Barnes as his ex-wife Katie. The ser ...

'' *'' Fear No Evil'' (1969) *'' Ritual of Evil'' (1970) *'' Hitched'' (1971) *''

Lock, Stock and Barrel "Lock, stock, and barrel" is a merism used predominantly in the United Kingdom and North America, meaning "all", "total" or "everything". It derives from the effective portions of a gun: the Lock (firearm), lock, the Stock (firearms), stock, and ...

'' (1971) *'' Banyon'' (1971) *'' Skin Game'' (1971) - story *''

Columbo ''Columbo'' is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originall ...

'' *''

Juggernaut A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originates in the mid-nineteenth century. ''Juggernaut'' is the early rendering in English ...

'' (1974) *'' The Lives of Jenny Dolan'' (1975) *'' Mrs. Columbo'' (1979–80) - creator *'' Harry's Hong Kong'' (1987)

References

External links

Richard Alan Simmons
at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

1924 births 2004 deaths Canadian emigrants to the United States Screenwriters from Toronto 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 20th-century American screenwriters Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II {{US-screen-writer-1920s-stub