Abby Mann

 Abby Mann (December 1, 1927 – March 25, 2008)

He was the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He was best known for his work on controversial subjects and social drama. His best known work is the screenplay for Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), which was initially a television drama that aired in 1959. Stanley Kramer directed the film adaptation, for which Mann received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Mann later adapted the play for a 2001 production on Broadway, which featured Maximilian Schell from the 1961 film in a different role. Mann and Kramer also collaborated on the film A Child Is Waiting (1963). While working for television, he created the series Kojak, starring Telly Savalas. Mann was executive producer, but was also credited as a writer on many episodes. He was married, and had one child, as well as two step children from his wife's previous marriage. Mann died of heart failure in Beverly Hills, California on March 25, 2008, aged 80. He is interred at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California.