Biographie
Michael attended school in New York before enrolling in a creative writing course. The professor warned the class, "There are enough bad writers out there. There needn't be anymore." Michael remembers the professor tearing up his work, which left him heartbroken. This same professor eventually steered him toward journalism, where Michael earned two Emmys as a news producer. After spending a few years back in New York, he saw a performance of "A Chorus Line" that inspired him to pursue a writing career. He initially returned to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, working as a censor for CBS. Later, he began writing spec scripts for TV shows like Simon & Simon (1981) and Cagney & Lacey (1981), eventually becoming a producer on Simon & Simon. Climbing the producer ranks, he moved between series until his longtime friend Maurice Hurley invited him to write and produce episodes for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). Michael wrote several episodes during the third season (1989-90) before becoming an Executive Producer. In 1992, Piller and Rick Berman, also an Executive Producer, created a new series set in the "Star Trek Universe": Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993). Piller managed writing, casting, and budgeting for two seasons before Paramount asked him to develop a new series following the conclusion of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1994. Star Trek: Voyager (1995), created by Jeri Taylor, Piller, and Rick Berman, premiered on the United Paramount Network (UPN) and ran until 2001. Piller left Voyager in 1996 after nine years in the Star Trek franchise. That same year, he created the critically acclaimed but short-lived UPN western Legend (1995), starring Richard Dean Anderson and John de Lancie. Also in 1996, Piller sold his first feature film script, "Oversight" (1998), which remains unproduced. In 1997, he co-wrote Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) with Rick Berman. His most notable post-Star Trek project was adapting Stephen King's The Dead Zone for television, working alongside his son Shawn Piller. Michael Piller passed away from cancer on November 2, 2005.
