Updated: April 16, 2024

"Shimon Wincelberg, a television writer and Broadway playwright, has died. He was 80.

Wincelberg died Wednesday at a nursing home in Los Angeles after a long illness, said publicist Fred Stuart. Wincelberg wrote nearly 100 scripts for television series, including "Naked City," "Mannix," "Police Woman," "Star Trek," "Gunsmoke," "Have Gun Will Travel," "Lost in Space," and, more recently, "Law & Order."

He also wrote the 1959 Broadway play "Kataki," which was inspired by his World War II service in the Army's 27th Division, Combat Intelligence. His 1962 play "Windows of Heaven" made its world premiere at Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theater.

Wincelberg, born in Kiel, Germany, started his career as a short story writer for The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar and Punch. During his career, Wincelberg was a mentor to many Orthodox Jews in Hollywood, Stuart said. He also wrote a segment of "Have Gun Will Travel" about a Jewish immigrant in the Old West.

He is survived by his wife, Anita Marateck, three children and seven grandchildren."

( * ) We have searched the internet for a photo of Mr. Wincelberg with no luck. If anyone has a photo, please e-mail it to us so we can show the proper tribute to this talented person. Our deepest prayers and wishes go to the Wincelberg family and friends during this difficult time.