Georg Fenady

TV director Georg Fenady got his start in TV as a casting consultant on the western series "The Rebel." In 1963, he stepped up to assistant director on the Emmy-winning war drama "Combat!" Within two years, Fenady was promoted to directorial duties on the series, which led to the director's seat on "The Dirty Dozen"-inspired adventure series "Garrison's Gorillas." Fenady built his career on action-based TV dramas like "Mission: Impossible," "Chase," and "CHiPS." By the '70s, he was working predominantly on the long-running hospital drama "Emergency!" After the show wrapped in 1979, Fenady moved from the ER to the morgue with "Quincy M.E.," a mystery show centered on a coroner played by Jack Klugman who investigates suspicious deaths. The film was widely acclaimed, earning 10 Emmy nominations during its eight-year run. Fenady followed this with a string of popular crime shows: "Dragnet," "Jake and the Fatman," and "Knight Rider," which starred David Hasselhoff. In 1992, Fenady re-teamed with Hasselhoff for the bathing-suit-heavy beach-set drama "Baywatch." Seven years later, he directed his final episode, titled "The Hunt," before retiring at age 69. Fenady died in May 29, 2008, two months before his 78th birthday.