1. Joseph William Stefano was an American screenwriter, known for adapting Robert Bloch's novel as the script for Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho, and for being the producer and co-writer of the original The Outer Limits television series.
12 Facts About Joseph Stefano
1. 2.
Joseph Stefano began writing movie scripts in the late 1950s, firstly for Martin Ritt with The Black Orchid ; his mother's occupation was an influence on the screenplay.
3.
Joseph Stefano was commissioned by Alfred Hitchcock to adapt Robert Bloch's novel Psycho for his film version.
4.
Joseph Stefano's work was recognized by the Mystery Writers of America when he was given a 1961 Edgar Award, for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.
5.
Joseph Stefano appears briefly onscreen, discussing Bloch's utilization of the basis of the character Norman Bates in the crimes of serial killer Ed Gein, in the documentary Ed Gein: The Ghoul of Plainfield, which can be found on Disc 2 of the DVD release of the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
6.
Joseph Stefano was offered the task of scripting Hitchcock's The Birds and Marnie, but was already committed to produce and write for his friend Leslie Stevens' science fiction television anthology series The Outer Limits.
7.
Joseph Stefano wrote one episode for the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation entitled "Skin of Evil".
8.
Joseph Stefano was one of the Guests of Honor at the 1974 NY Telefantasy Convention, and spent hours signing autographs for hundreds of Outer Limits fans.
9.
Joseph Stefano wrote and executive produced the Al Pacino drama Two Bits, a personal project that fared poorly at the box-office and with critics, leaving Joseph Stefano less than enthusiastic about continuing to write for modern Hollywood.
10.
Joseph Stefano died of a heart attack at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, California, in 2006.
11.
Joseph Stefano was a producer for the first season of The Outer Limits and wrote a total of 12 episodes.
12.
The last episode was originally a pilot for a proposed TV series called The Unknown, but after ABC rejected it, Joseph Stefano reworked it as the season one finale.