Beauty and the Beast Creator Ron Koslow Dies at 81

Writer and producer Ron Koslow, creator of the CBS television series Beauty and the Beast, died October 7, 2026, at age 81, according to an announcement by his family. A family spokesperson said he died at his home in Brentwood, California. No cause of death was disclosed in the reports. Koslow created the series, which premiered in 1987 and starred Linda Hamilton as an assistant district attorney and Ron Perlman as Vincent, a man-beast living in a hidden community beneath New York City. The show reimagined the classic fairy tale as a contemporary fantasy and ran for three seasons, through 1990. The series earned Koslow three Emmy nominations, including one for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series in 1988. Its writing and production staff included George R.R. Martin, Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, who later became prominent television writers and producers. A reboot of Beauty and the Beast premiered on The CW in 2012 and ran for four seasons. It starred Kristin Kreuk as Catherine and Jay Ryan as Vincent, with the characters and story adapted for the newer series. Koslow worked in television and film for about four decades. His screenwriting debut was the 1976 film Lifeguard,...