Biography
Jackson Gillis was a screenwriter who specialized in television dramas during the first thirty years of the medium's history. A Stanford graduate and World War II veteran, Gillis began writing for radio after his discharge. As radio declined he made the switch to television, with 1953's "I'm the Law" starring George Raft being his first regular assignment. In the same year, he began working for "Adventures of Superman," contributing 15 episodes over the first four seasons. He worked on other kid's adventure shows in the '50s as well, writing episodes of "Lassie" and two serials that ran on "The Micky Mouse Club": "The Adventures of Spin and Marty" and "The Hardy Boys." Gillis wrote episodes and eventually served as an associate producer for the courtroom drama "Perry Mason" between '61 and '65. He wrote multiple episodes of "Lost in Space" and "Tarzan" during the '60s but found the most acclaim for his work on the long-running detective series "Columbo," writing for the show in the '70s and serving as a story consultant in its late '80s revival. He continued contributing scripts for television until his retirement in the mid-'80s. Gillis died at the age of 93 while retired in Moscow, Idaho.
