Jack Laird

Jack Laird was an American TV writer and producer who worked on the popular 1970s shows "Night Gallery" and "Kojak." Laird started out in show business as an actor, but mostly found unbilled work. During the late 1950s, he began writing for television, penning episodes of the Westerns "Have Gun - Will Travel" and "Bronco," as well as the popular comedy "My Three Sons." In the early '60s, Laird branched out to become a producer, most notably for the medical drama "Ben Casey," which he also served on as a writer. During the early '70s, Laird was involved as a writer, producer, and director on the supernatural series "Night Gallery," a show presented by former "Twilight Zone" host Rod Serling. In the following years, Laird wrote numerous episodes of the Telly Savalas-starring detective series "Kojak" and became a key producer on the hit show. During subsequent decades, Laird was largely inactive, but he did contribute to the made-for-TV movie "Kojak: None So Blind" shortly before his death in '91.