Peter Steven Fischer (August 10, 1935 – October 30, 2023) was an American television writer, producer, and novelist. He was best known for the series Murder, She Wrote, which he co-created with Richard Levinson and William Link.

Early life

Fischer was born in Queens on August 10, 1935, and took an interest in writing as a child. He graduated from Hofstra University in 1956. Fischer held a series of jobs for the next several years, including editing trade publications and working in direct mail. During this time, he was a resident of Smithtown, New York. However, he sold the script The Last Child when he was 35 years old, and it was produced as a made-for-TV film. He decided to pursue screenwriting as a career, and relocated to Los Angeles.

Writing career

Television

Fischer wrote for the television series Baretta and Kojak. He created, produced and wrote for the NBC series The Eddie Capra Mysteries. He was also a story editor on Columbo. Fischer was the executive producer of Murder, She Wrote for the first seven seasons from, 1984 to 1991. He wrote 8 of the 22 episodes the first season, and wrote or co-wrote nearly three dozen episodes of the show during its run. He said the series was conceived with the idea to create a character that combined the fictional detective Miss Marple with her creator, Agatha Christie. He later wrote the television films Stranger at My Door (1991) and Dead Man's Island (1996), which was his last credit in television.

Novels

After more than a decade in retirement, Fischer began a new career in his seventies as a novelist. He wrote more than 20 novels in the Hollywood Murder Mysteries series, set during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Personal life and death

In 1957, Fischer married Lucille Warnock. They had three children and were married until her death in 2017. Fischer lived in Pacific Grove, California, in his later years, and died at a care home there on October 30, 2023, at the age of 88.

Filmography

Films

Television

Novels

The Hollywood Murder Mysteries

Source:

Other novels