Leslie A. Stevens III (February 3, 1924 – April 24, 1998) was the creator of the cult TV series The Outer Limits (1963–1965) and director of the cult horror film Incubus (1965), starring William Shatner.
Leslie Stevens was born in Washington, D.C.. His interest in science was sparked when he studied for Annapolis at the behest of his father, an admiral in the United States Navy. But the Broadway theater intrigued him more than a military career, and he headed for New York as a fledging writer. It was a wise decision. He wrote the Broadway comedy The Marriage-Go-Round, which he adapted to the screen, and produced, as a starring vehicle for Susan Hayward in 1961. He wrote the screenplay for the film The Left Handed Gun (1958) directed by Arthur Penn and starring Paul Newman.
Other films which Stevens produced, and directed and wrote included Hero's Island (1962) starring James Mason, and Private Property (1960) starring Warren Oates. In television, he created the series The Outer Limits, which he also wrote, directed and supervised as executive producer. He was writer, director and executive producer of the pilot film and major episodes of It Takes a Thief and McCloud, wrote and produced installments for the series The Invisible Man and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and produced the 1st season Tony Franciosa episodes of The Name Of The Game. He was also co-producer of the original science fiction film Battlestar Galactica (1978), and the short-lived NBC science fiction series Search (1972–1973) (about futuristic, high-tech secret agents). Stevens died of a blood clot in 1998 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 74.
Leslie Stevens was married to:
Leslie Stevens is an American dancer and actress. She has played minor roles in various television shows and movies, including A Chorus Line.
Is also a Broadway dancer.
Leslie Stevens III was a Navy brat, the son of Adm. Leslie Stevens made his mark first on Broadway, where his play "The Marriage Go-Round" was a hit. He eventually wrote the screenplay for a movie version in 1960. After adapting Gore Vidal's "The Left-Handed Gun" to the screen, in 1959 Stevens produced a low-budget melodrama, "Private Property," which starred his then-wife Kate Manx and was filmed at his Hollywood Hills home. The movie led to other work. In the early 1960s, Stevens was the head of Daystar Productions, one of the few independent TV production companies to survive amid the majors. Daystar created the "Stoney Burke" and "The Outer Limits" series. His 1965 movie "Incubus," which starred William Shatner and featured dialog spoken in Esperanto, was withdrawn from circulation by Stevens, who never released the movie beyond a few film festival showings. Stevens claimed in interviews that the deaths of two actors from the film made "Incubus" impossible for him to watch. In the 1970s, Stevens went on the payroll at Universal Studios and produced science-fiction series such as "Buck Rogers" and "Gemini Man." His final movie as a director was "Three Kinds of Heat," and although his output in the 1990s was spotty, he did write a childrens film, "Gordy."
Leslie Stevens' interest in science was sparked when he studied for Annapolis at the behest of his father, a Navy admiral. But the Broadway theatre intrigued him more than a military career, and he headed for New York as a fledging writer. It was a wise decision. He wrote the hit Broadway comedy "Marriage-Go-Round," which he later adapted to the screen, and produced, as a starring vehicle for Susan Hayward. He wrote the screenplay "The Left-Handed Gun," directed by Arthur Penn and starring Paul Newman. Other films which Stevens produced, directed and wrote included "Heroes Island," starring James Mason, and "Private Property," starring Warren Oates. In television he created the "Outer Limits" series, which he also wrote, directed and supervised as executive producer. He was writer, director and executive producer of the pilot film and major episodes of "It Takes a Thief" and "McCloud" and wrote and produced installments for the series, "The Invisible Man," and "Gemini Man."
