Biography
Richard Alan Simmons (11 October 1924 – 13 November 2004) was a Canadian-American screenwriter and television producer. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, graduated from the University of Toronto, and later moved to California to work in radio before entering film and television.
He wrote for numerous films including The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and Juggernaut (1974), and contributed episodes to anthology series such as The Dick Powell Show. Simmons wrote for Columbo (1971) and served as producer and executive producer on the series; he also created the spin-off Mrs. Columbo (1979–80). He received Emmy nominations for writing and producing work.
