Stephen J. Cannell

For anyone who grew up watching television in the 1970s and 1980s, the name Stephen J. Cannell - not to mention his instantly recognizable company logo - became synonymous with high-octane, crowd-pleasing entertainment. Creator of hits like "The Rockford Files," "The Greatest American Hero," "The A-Team" and "21 Jumpstreet," the extremely prolific Cannell wrote over 450 television episodes and served as creator or executive producer on dozens of shows and thousands of episodes in his particular TV niche. Though most of his over 40-year output was considered less than high brow by some, no one - especially Generation X audiences - could deny that the TV mogul created episodic cultural touchstones for millions who grew up on his particular brand of small screen magic.