RIP Joseph Stefano (1922-2006)

His name may not be instantly recognizable, but I would say even with that, you probably know the work of Hollywood writer Joseph Stefano anyway. Sadly, he has passed away at the age of 84, from a heart attack.

A native of Philadelphia, he was a prolific writer at the dawn of the TV medium in the 50's, finding work wherever he could. But Stefano skyrocketed to fame as the screenwriter of Alfred Hitchcock's directorial masterpiece Psycho (1960). In fact, the script was so good that the team behind the 1998 remake asked him to update his work for the modern version. After Psycho hit it big, he took a job as a writer/producer on the first season of the sci-fi anthology series "The Outer Limits" penning some of the best segments of the show. He would come back for the 90's revival as writer for 2 episodes.

He even came into the world of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and helped to concoct Skin of Evil, a late first season episode, that saw the death of a major character. In 1990, Stefano returned to a certain motel to pen Psycho IV: The Beginning--a cable movie prequel that looked at how Norman Bates turned into a murderer.

He will be missed...

For more on Stefano, read The Los Angeles Times obituary