Tribute: Richard Matheson (1926 - 2013)

One of the most influential and important authors of science fiction/horror cinema and television has passed away.  

Richard Matheson (1926 - 2013) died today, after an enduring and brilliant writing career that inspired Stephen King, George A. Romero, Chris Carter (who named a senator after him on The X-Files), Anne Rice and countless other artists of the highest caliber.

A multiple award-winner and inductee in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Matheson's novel I Am Legend was adapted to film three times, as The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971) and in 2007 under its original title.  The novel has also been considered the inspiration for Romero's Night of the Living Dead film franchise.

Mr. Matheson's work in film can also be seen in The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), The Legend of Hell House (1973) and the romantic Somewhere in Time (1980).  

In the world of television, Richard Matheson wrote for series such as Star Trek ("The Enemy Within"), Ghost Story/Circle of Fear ("The New House"), and he contributed a whopping sixteen episode teleplays to Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone (1959 - 1964).    

Among Matheson's Twilight Zone titles are such classics as "Nick of Time" and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," both starring William Shatner, plus "The Invaders" starring Agnes Moorehead, and "Death Ship" with Jack Klugman.  His other titles include "Little Girl Lost," "Third from the Sun," "Steel," and "Spur of the Moment."

Mr. Matheson also penned several TV movies that are now considered classics, including Steven Spielberg's Duel (1971), Trilogy of Terror (1975), and the highly rated The Night Stalker (1972), which became the basis for the Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974 - 1975) TV series.

Today, we mourn a great and gifted writer, but we are left, even in our sadness, with the rich legacy of his timeless work.  In his novels, in his teleplays and in his screenplays, we can continue to experience Mr. Matheson's incomparable imagination, as well as his obsession and fascination with human nature.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Matheson.