William Theodore Link (December 15, 1933 – December 27, 2020) was an American film and televisionscreenwriter andproducer who often worked in collaboration withRichard Levinson.^[1]

Born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, William Link was the son of Elsie (née Roerecke) and William Theodore Link, a textile broker.^[2] His mother had GermanHuguenot heritage. Link discovered late in life that his father's parents wereJewish. Link's niece, Amy, examined a suitcase William Theodore had left to his son, which they had kept in their attic. She opened it in 2011 and it turned out to containgenealogical research and evidence done by William Theodore duringWorld War II. Amy had discovered that Link's paternal grandparents were Jewish.^[3] Link earned a degree from theUniversity of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business prior to serving in theUnited States Army from 1956 to 1958.

William Link andRichard Levinson met on their first day of junior high school. Each had enjoyed doing magic tricks and other students repeatedly mentioned to each of them that they should meet. They began writing together soon after.^[4] In high school, they created radio scripts. While studying at the University of Pennsylvania, they wrote film criticism for the college newspapers. Some of their short stories were published inPlayboy.^[1]

They sold their first short story, "Whistle While You Work", toEllery Queen Mystery Magazine, which published it in the November 1954 issue.^[4] In 1959, their playChain of Command was produced by theWestinghouse Desilu Playhouse. This was followed by script-writing forAlfred Hitchcock Presents (Day of Reckoning, original air date November 22, 1962, based on a novel by John Garde),Dr. Kildare, andThe Fugitive. In 1965, they wrote three episodes ofHoney West (TV series) including the final episode. They co-created and sometimes produced such TV series asMannix in 1968,Columbo in 1969,Ellery Queen, andMurder, She Wrote (co-created withPeter S. Fischer).^[1][5] Thecharacter of Columbo was first introduced by Link and Levinson in a 1960 episode ofThe Chevy Mystery Show.^[6] For theJessica Fletcher character they created in 1983 when CBS contacted them to create a new mystery TV show, they found inspiration in a mix ofAgatha Christie and herMiss Marple character. At first, they wantedJean Stapleton for the role, but she ended up declining the offer.^[5]

They collaborated on several made-for-TV movies, includingThe Gun,My Sweet Charlie,That Certain Summer,The Judge and Jake Wyler,Guilty Conscience,The Execution of Private Slovik,Charlie Cobb: A Nice Night for a Hanging, andBlacke's Magic; the last, which starredHal Linden andHarry Morgan, was also developed intoa short-lived TV series. The partners collaborated, as well, on two feature films:The Hindenburg (1975) andRollercoaster (1977). Levinson and Link occasionally used the pseudonym "Ted Leighton", most notably on the telefilmEllery Queen: Don't Look Behind You (1971), where their work was substantially rewritten by other hands,^[7] and onColumbo when they came up with stories to be scripted by their collaborators.

They co-wrote theBroadway musical magic showMerlin starringDoug Henning and co-scripted the filmThe Execution of Private Slovik.^[1]

Following the sudden death of Levinson in 1987, Link continued his writing and producing career in many media. In 1991, in tribute to Levinson, he wrote the script for the 1991 TV filmThe Boys, starringJames Woods andJohn Lithgow. He was a frequent contributor to such mystery fiction publications asEllery Queen's Mystery Magazine andAlfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. His post-Levinson TV work includesThe Cosby Mysteries (1994–95), starringBill Cosby. Link also was executive story consultant on the short-lived science fiction/detective seriesProbe in 1988.

In 2010, the specialist mystery publishing house,Crippen & Landru, releasedThe Columbo Collection, a book featuring a dozen original short stories about Lieutenant Columbo, all written by Link.^[6] In 2021, a further collection of stories,Shooting Script, was edited for C&L by Joseph Goodrich.

Link died fromheart failure in Los Angeles, on December 27, 2020, twelve days after his 87th birthday.^[8]

• Link, William; Levinson, Richard (1983) [1981].Stay Tuned: An Inside Look at the Making of Prime-Time Television. New York: Ace Books.ISBN 978-0441785469.
• William Link (January 19, 2010).The Columbo Collection by William Link. Crippen & Landru Publishers.ASIN B01B98WOZK.

Link received the following awards and nominations jointly with Levinson :

Other recognitions:

• 2002: Named president of the Mystery Writers of America (one of the few television writers to achieve this honor.^[9]

The William Link Theatre on the campus ofCalifornia State University, Long Beach, is named after Link in honor of his work and donation of plays.^[10]

• Official website
• William Link atIMDb

• 1933 births
• 2020 deaths
• 20th-century American male writers
• 21st-century American male writers
• American crime fiction writers
• Film producers from Pennsylvania
• American male novelists
• American male screenwriters
• American male television writers
• American people of German descent
• American people of Jewish descent
• American television writers
• Columbo
• Edgar Award winners
• Novelists from Pennsylvania
• People from Cheltenham, Pennsylvania
• Wharton School alumni
• Screenwriters from Philadelphia
• 20th-century American screenwriters
• American television show creators

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