Stephen Kandel Biography

Stephen Kandel, a prolific writer and producer, has had a career in television that spanned the mid-1960s through the 1980s. After writing the scripts for two feature films in 1956, and a third in 1958, Kandel was anointed in television when he became one of the main writers for the Lloyd Bridges-starring action-adventure series "Sea Hunt," where he penned 14 episodes, through 1961. The '60s became one of Kandel's busiest decades. In 1964 and '65, he wrote 11 episodes for the crime-comedy "The Rogues"; in '65 and '66 he wrote four episodes for the Sally Field, pseudo-surfing comedy, "Gidget"; in 1966 and '67 five episodes for the classic crime caper series "Batman" and two episodes of the sci-fi behemoth, "Star Trek"; and from '66 to '68, seven episodes for the Robert Culp-Bill Cosby crime-comedy "I Spy." Among Kandel's numerous gigs in the 1970s, the most substantial included five episodes of "Mission: Impossible," nine episodes of the hospital drama "Medical Center," and 10 episodes of the crime mystery "Cannon." Kandel's most lasting contribution, however, came in the 1980s, as a writer, producer, and story consultant for the secret agent action-adventure series "MacGyver," which starred Richard Dean Anderson. Kandel wrote 17 episodes, produced 45, and became the executive story consultant for five episodes of the hit show. Stephen Kandel died on October 21, 2023 in Boston, MA at the age of 96.