William Frederick Blinn[1] (July 21, 1937 – October 22, 2020) was an American screenwriter and television producer.
As a screenwriter, Blinn wrote episodes of Rawhide, Gunsmoke, The Rookies, Here Come the Brides, and Shane (where he was also story editor),[3] and Fame (where he also served as executive producer).
[4] In 1971, Blinn wrote the screenplay for the television movie Brian's Song for which he won an Emmy and Peabody Award.
Blinn also created two series for producing mogul Aaron Spelling: Starsky & Hutch (Blinn later produced the 2004 film of the same name);[1] and the less-successful Heaven Help Us, which co-starred Ricardo Montalbán, known for his role in Fantasy Island.
He was also a writer for the 1996 Hallmark Television film The Boys Next Door based on the play of the same name.