Stephen Joseph Cannell (February 5, 1941 – September 30, 2010; pronounced /ˈkænəl/, rhymes with "channel") was an American television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor who is also the founder of Stephen J. Cannell Productions.
Personal History[]
Cannell was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in a mansion in nearby Pasadena. His parents, Carolyn (née Baker) and Joseph Knapp Cannell, owned a chain of furniture stores.
Cannell struggled with dyslexia in school, but did graduate from the University of Oregon in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in journalism. At UO, he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Appearances on Castle[]
Cannell played himself as one of Richard Castle's poker buddies in three episodes.
- "Flowers for Your Grave" (9 March 2009)
- "Deep in Death" (21 September 2009)
- "A Deadly Game" (17 May 2010)
After his death, the episode "Punked" ended with a tribute to Cannell in the form of a modified version of Cannell's classic sign-off.
In the episode "The Dead Pool", he is mentioned when the new guy, Alex Conrad, almost sits in Cannell's usual spot, the others saying that a seat must stay vacant for a year. to honor their friend's death.
External links[]
- Stephen J. Cannell at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Stephen J. Cannell at the Internet Movie Database
- Stephen J. Cannell website