Michael Piller | |
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Piller in July 2003
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Born |
Port Chester, New York, United States |
May 30, 1948
Died | November 1, 2005 Los Angeles, California, United States |
(aged 57)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Television producer, writer |
Spouse(s) | Sandra Piller (1981-2005; his death; 3 children) |
Children | Christy Ann Broms, Shawn Michael Piller, Brent Elizabeth Piller |
Michael Piller (May 30, 1948 – November 1, 2005) was an American television scriptwriter and producer, who was most famous for his contributions to the Star Trek franchise.
Piller was born to a Jewish family in Port Chester, New York. With parents who were both involved in writing; Gene Piller, his father was a Hollywood screenwriter and his mother, Ruth Roberts (8/31/1926-6/30/2011) was a songwriter. He planned to be a scriptwriter from an early age, but a college lecturer discouraged him, and Piller started out in television working as an Emmy Award-winning journalist for CBS News in New York, WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina, and WBBM-TV in Chicago, Illinois. However he then moved to Los Angeles, California and the entertainment side of television in the late 1970s, working as a censor and then a programming executive for CBS. Whilst at the station, he became director of dramas based on fact and program practices. He began writing scripts for television, and after selling a script to Cagney & Lacey and another to Simon & Simon, he was offered a staff writing position on Simon & Simon, where he stayed for three years, becoming a producer.
Piller attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.