Ron Koslow, the three-time Emmy nominated writer and producer who created the beloved 1987 TV series Beauty and the Beast, died peacefully at his home on Wednesday October 7 at the age of 81. His family confirmed the news, but no official cause of death has been revealed.
A Modern Retelling of a Classic Fairytale
Koslow was behind the modern retelling of the classic fairytale, which starred Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman in the titular roles. His updated version was set in a fantastical underground world beneath New York City. It "reimagined the classic fairy tale as a story of love, compassion, humanity and the beauty found beyond outward appearances."
He was nominated for three Emmy awards for his work on the series, including one for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series in 1988. The show ran for three seasons from 1987 until 1990 and spawned a reboot in 2012 starring Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan.
Career Highlights Beyond Beauty and the Beast
Although Koslow attended the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA film school, he went on to earn a law degree from Loyola University and became a member of the California Bar before starting his TV career.
Alongside his most famous show, other notable projects on his CV included the screenplays for 1976's Lifeguard starring Sam Elliott. He wrote 1984's Firstborn starring Teri Garr and Peter Weller and 1985's Into the Night which starred Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Later Work and Tributes
Koslow also created the drama My Life and Times, which ran for six episodes in 1991. Along with 70s teen heartthrob Shaun Cassidy, best known from The Hardy Boys, he created the fantasy drama Roar, which aired for eight episodes in 1997. He co-created the drama Moonlight with Trevor Munson, which aired 16 episodes between 2007 and 2008. Alongside this, he was executive producer on the superhero series Birds of Prey which ran between 2002 and 2003.
In 1970, he made his only on-screen appearance with an uncredited role in the Dean Martin starring Airport, playing a character called Mark Harris.
Tributes flooded in for the star from friends and fans as the news of his death became widely known. On Facebook, one penned: "Koslow had a talent for taking familiar ideas and giving them a stranger, darker and more romantic identity of their own. Decades later, the worlds he created are still finding new audiences. Rest in paradise Ron Koslow."
Another added: "My Maunte Pauline Fellows (rip) got me hooked on Beauty and the Beast. She bought the whole series on VHS. I borrowed them and love them. Ron and Linda made that show so popular. RIP Ron you created one of my favorite TV shows growing up as a kid and as a young teenager. Thank you Sir."
A third chimed in: "Beauty and the Beast was one of the most poetic and literate shows ever created. Talent like that of Ron Koslow will be missed." Meanwhile, a fourth shared: "What a testament BATB is to Ron Koslow’s memory! To have created a 'story' forty years ago that’s still so fullsome, resonant and telling. It’s no over-estimation to say that watching BATB has changed people’s lives. That we watched it back in the late eighties had seen something as ethereal as a dream but as true and real to us as the beat of our own hearts. Thank you Ron - you made our magic so very real xxx."
