Bruce Bernard Geller (October 13, 1930 – May 21, 1978) was an Americanlyricist,screenwriter,director, andtelevision producer. He was best known for the action seriesMission: Impossible (1966-1973), and detective dramaMannix (1967-1975).

Geller was born in aJewish family^[3] inNew York City, the son of Dorothy (née Friedlander) and General Sessions Judge Abraham N. Geller.^[4] Geller graduated fromYale University in 1952, where he had studied psychology and sociology and was involved in many activities including theater.^[1]

He pursued a career writing scripts for shows on theDuMont Television Network includingJimmy Hughes, Rookie Cop (1953) and others. He also wrote the book and lyrics formusical theatre productions includingLivin' the Life (1957) andAll in Love (1961), but his efforts met with only modest success. Geller left New York forLos Angeles, where he was employed writing scripts for episodes of severaltelevision series, includingZane Grey Theater,Have Gun – Will Travel,The Rebel, andThe Rifleman. He also worked as the co-executive producer of theRawhide series for the 1964-1965 television season.

While producingRawhide, he developed the idea for a new "cloak-and-dagger" series,Mission: Impossible.^[1] In 1966, Geller created and producedMission: Impossible (for which he wrote the pilot episode), the accomplishment for which he is best remembered. The show ran onCBS from 1966 to 1973 and earned him anEmmy Award in 1966 as producer plus another for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama. During the early seasons, a photograph of Geller was included in the dossier of Impossible Missions Force (IMF) agents that IMF leaders Briggs and Phelps perused each week and was often visible on screen (such as in the episodes "Memory", "Operation Rogosh" and "Operation - Heart"). The series wasrevived in 1988 and aired until 1990 onABC.

Geller also wrote, produced, and directed for the seriesMannix (1967–1975), which was twice nominated for an Emmy Award. In 1973, he made his only venture intofeature films, producing and directingHarry in Your Pocket starringJames Coburn andWalter Pidgeon.

A flying enthusiast, Bruce Geller died on May 21, 1978 when theCessna Skymaster he was piloting ran into fog and crashed into Buena Vista Canyon nearSanta Barbara, California.^[5] He is interred in the JewishMount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

• Bruce Geller atIMDb

• 1930 births
• 1978 deaths
• American male screenwriters
• Television producers from New York City
• American musical theatre lyricists
• American television show creators
• Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
• Yale University alumni
• Accidental deaths in California
• Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
• 20th-century American businesspeople
• Songwriters from New York (state)
• Screenwriters from New York City
• 20th-century American male writers
• Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1978
• 20th-century American screenwriters
• 20th-century American songwriters

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