Ron Koslow Dies: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Creator Was 81 — SkimNews
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- Ron Koslow died October 7 at age 81, with multiple reports citing his family, ending a 40-year career as a television and film writer and producer
- "Beauty and the Beast" (1987) starred Linda Hamilton as Assistant DA Catherine Chandler and Ron Perlman as her protector Vincent, a noble man-beast living in tunnels below New York; the series ran three seasons and won six Primetime Emmys
- The 2012 CW reboot starred Kristin Kreuk as a detective Catherine and Jay Ryan as Vincent, an ex-soldier turned man-beast by a secret government organization; it ran four seasons
- Koslow's CBS series served as an early career launchpad for Homeland showrunner Alex Gansa, 24 showrunner Howard Gordon, and George R.R. Martin, who wrote 11 episodes years before creating Game of Thrones
- Koslow also created the Fox series "My Life and Times" featuring Megan Mullally and Helen Hunt, plus supernatural/fantasy projects including "Moonlight" and "Roar"
- His screen career began in 1976 writing "Lifeguard," starring Sam Elliott and Anne Archer, and later included films such as "Into the Night" (Pfeiffer, Goldblum), "Last Dance" (Sharon Stone), "First Born" (Teri Garr, Peter Weller), and "Roar" (Heath Ledger)
Why it matters: Koslow's original "Beauty and the Beast" functioned as a training ground for three of television's most consequential showrunners — Gansa, Gordon, and Martin — making it a quiet but direct ancestor of modern prestige TV including Homeland, 24, and Game of Thrones. His death closes a chapter that links 1980s network fantasy to today's streaming-era hits.
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