Lawrence G. DiTillio(February 15, 1948 – March 16, 2019) was an Americanfilm,TV series,andtabletop role-playing gamewriter. His creations includeHe-Man and She-Ra:The Secret of the Swordand the award-winningMasks of Nyarlathotep.
Larry DiTillio | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lawrence G. DiTillio February 15, 1948 |
| Died | March 16, 2019(aged 71) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Television writer |
| Years active | 1970–2009 |
Education
editLarry DiTillio attended the film school atNew York Universityfor four years. He then spent an additional two years atUCLA's film school.[1]
Career
editAfter graduating, DiTillio decided to make a career as a Hollywood writer. He knocked on agency doors until he was able to find an agent willing and able to find him work as a film writer.[1]DiTillio wrote for both television and movies in the 1970s, including a stint onFilmation'sFat Albert and the Cosby Kids.He then became a staff writer for the originalHe-Man and the Masters of the Universeseries and over its two seasons, wrote 17 episodes, more than anyone else. He also directed one episode.
During a writers' strike in 1983, DiTillio searched for other ways to generate income through writing, so he was hired byFlying Buffalo.[2]: 37 DiTillio wroteThe Isle of Darksmoke(1984), the final multiplayerTunnels & Trollsadventure that Flying Buffalo published.[2]: 38 DiTillio also collaborated withLynn Willisto create the world-spanning campaignMasks of Nyarlathotep(1984) forChaosium'sCall of Cthulhu,which author Shannon Appelcine states is considered one of the best roleplaying adventures of all time,[2]: 86 and won anOrigins Award.[3]For a few months, DiTillio was also a contributor to Chaosium'sDifferent Worldsmagazine, writing about news from the world of film and television in his "The Sword of Hollywood" column.[4]Other Chaosium titles he wrote or contributed to, include;The Grey Knight,the first adventure for thePendragonrole-playing game,Demon Magic: The Second Stormbringer Companionfor theStormbringerfantasy role-playing game, and theCall of CthulhusupplementTerror Australis.[5]
Despite his success in the role-playing games industry, once the screenwriters' strike ended, DiTillio went back to screenwriting.[6]
In 1985, he wrote the feature-length filmHe-Man and She-Ra: Secret of the Sword.Following its release, he andJ. Michael Straczynskibecame writers for Filmation's spin-off showShe-Ra: Princess of Power.[1]DiTillio created theshow biblefor the spinoff show and invented most of the character names.[7][page needed]Straczynski later recalled the considerable time DiTillio spent writing character background for the show. "One of the things Larry and I decided, very early on, was that She-Ra couldn't just be 'He-Man with boobs.' The show had to go deeper than that, especially given that we were creating this for a female lead character."[1]However, when Filmation refused to give them credit on-screen, both left, finding work withDIC EntertainmentonJayce and the Wheeled Warriors.
In 1993, DiTillio worked with Straczynski again, this time on thescience-fictionseriesBabylon 5,with Straczynski as producer and DiTillio the executive story editor.[6][2]: 41 DiTillio also worked on theanimated seriesBeast Wars,writing or co-writing most of the episodes.[2]: 41 In 2002, he was a writer for the updatedHe-Man and the Masters of the Universeseries.
DiTillio died at the age of 71 on March 16, 2019.[1]
Filmography
editReferences
edit- ^abcdeWeiss, Josh (2019-03-17)."Larry DiTillio, co-creator of She-Ra and well-known genre TV writer has passed away".SyFy Wire.Retrieved2020-04-11.
- ^abcdeAppelcline, Shannon (2011).Designers & Dragons.Mongoose Publishing.ISBN978-1-907702-58-7.
- ^"Origins Award Winners (1996)".Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-12-21.
- ^"Larry DiTiilio Passed Away".Dungeon Master Magazine.2019-03-17.Retrieved2020-04-11.
- ^Mason, Mike (2019-03-17)."Larry DiTillio, Visionary Game Designer and Writer, 1940-2019".Chaosium.Retrieved2020-04-11.
- ^abFaragher, Steve (March 1997). "The Complete Masks of Nyarlathotep".Arcane.No. 17.Future Publishing.pp. 56–57.
- ^Scheimer, Lou (2012).Creating the Filmation Generation.Two Morrows Publishing.ISBN978-1605490441.