Biographie
William Blinn was born in Toledo, Ohio. After finishing high school and college, he relocated to California, where he began his career as a television writer and producer in the 1960s.
Following freelance work on numerous TV shows, his breakthrough came in 1971 when he wrote the made-for-TV movie "Brian's Song," which became an instant ratings hit. In 1972, he created the concept for "The Rookies" and pitched it to producer Aaron Spelling and ABC.
After two years on the show, Blinn joined Warner Bros., where he wrote and produced "The New Land." His next project was another success, "Starsky and Hutch." Initially pitched as an episode of "The Rookies," producers requested it be separated, resulting in a made-for-TV movie before it launched as a series in 1975.
In 1976, he briefly moved to Lorimar, developing ideas for "Hunter" and a TV adaptation of "Eight is Enough," then joined Wolper Productions, where he wrote the miniseries "Roots."
By 1977, after freelance work, Blinn became a full-time writer and producer for Viacom, partnering with director Jerry Thorpe to form Blinn/Thorpe Productions. There, he produced "The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove," "The Lazarus Syndrome," "American Dream," and TV movies like "Fast Lane Blues," "Stickin' Together," and "Heaven Only Knows."
In 1980, Blinn and Thorpe parted ways, and he signed a production deal with MGM Television, developing and producing the series "Fame," working through its first three seasons.
In 1984, he left MGM and "Fame," signing a production agreement with Lorimar Productions. During this time, he renamed his company from Eilenna Productions to Echo Cove Productions. At Lorimar, he produced "Bridges to Cross" for CBS and the TV movie "Eight is Enough: A Family Reunion," then reunited with Jerry Thorpe to produce "Our House" and "Aaron's Way," both for NBC.
In 1988, Blinn departed Lorimar to join Walt Disney Television under a two-year production deal. There, he produced a remake of "The Absent-Minded Professor," as well as "Wild Jack," "Davy Crockett: A Letter to Polly," "Appearances," and "Polly: Comin' Home!" After Disney, he moved to New World Television, where he worked on "The Boys of Twilight."
In 1993, he signed a non-exclusive agreement with producer Aaron Spelling and created "Heaven Help Us" for the Spelling Premiere Network. After the show's failure, he returned to independent producing and writing, contributing to Hallmark Hall of Fame's "The Boys Next Door" and Hill/Fields Entertainment's "Shaughnessy."
In 1997, Blinn signed with Stu Segall Productions, renaming Echo Cove to Dauphine Productions. He wrote and served as showrunner for "Pensacola: Wings of Gold." Retiring in 1998, his showrunning and writing duties were taken over by Jacqueline Zambrano. He received a producing credit on the 2004 film adaptation of "Starsky & Hutch.
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