Walter Grauman dies at 93

Los Angeles: Walter E Grauman, who directed more than 50 episodes of Angela Lansbury's "Murder, She Wrote", has passed away. He was 93.

Grauman, who helmed multiple episodes of the crime shows "Barnaby Jones" and "The Untouchables" during his five-decade career, died yesterday of natural causes at his home here, said The Hollywood Reporter. Survivors include his wife Peggy, daughter Amy, son Larry and grandchildren Brian, Lily, Stephen and Michael.

He also directed the pilots for "The Fugitive" and "The Streets of San Francisco". A native of Milwaukee, Grauman attended the University of Wisconsin and the University of Arizona before enlisting in the Army Air Corps as a bomber pilot during World War II.

He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for flying 56 combat missions over Europe.

He was the relative of Sid Grauman, who built the Chinese and Egyptian movie theatres in Hollywood. Grauman was earlier married to the late actress Joan Taylor, who starred as general store owner Milly Scott on "The Rifleman". She died in 2012.

The acclaimed director worked on shows like "Peter Gunn", "The Twilight Zone", "Route 66", "The FBI" and "Columbo".

He directed the 1957 horror film "The Disembodied", starring Paul Burke; "Lady in a Cage" (1964), starring Olivia de Havilland and James Caan; 1965's "A Rage to Live", with Suzanne Pleshette; and the war dramas "633 Squadron" (1964) and "The Last Escape" in 1970. Grauman created the Spotlight Awards at the Los Angeles Music Center more than 25 years ago.