Michael Sloan, Co-Creator of ‘The Equalizer,’ Dies at 78

Michael Sloan, the television writer and producer who co-created TV series “The Equalizer” with Richard Lindheim, died Wednesday in New York City. He was 78.

Born in New York City in 1946, Sloan was exposed to the entertainment industry from an early age. His grandfather, Fred Stone, was a vaudeville performer known for playing the Scarecrow in the 1902 Broadway production of “The Wizard of Oz.” His parents Paula Stone and Michael Sloane were Broadway stage producers, mounting numerous plays throughout the 1940s and 50s.

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Sloan moved to England where he wrote and produced his first three films: a 1972 short titled “Hunted” and two features titled “Assassin” and “Moments,” released in 1973 and 1974, respectively. In 1976, he wrote an episode of “Columbo” for Universal Television. The episode, “Now You See Him” from the show’s fifth season, was widely praised and the series’ only episode ever written by a freelancer.

When Sloan returned to the United States, he landed his first studio job at Universal, where he wrote and produced episodes of “McCloud,” “Quincy, M.E.,” “The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries,” ‘Evening in Byzantium,” “Sword of Justice,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “BJ and the Bear.” He earned an Emmy nomination for his work on “Quincy, M.E.”

Sloan left Universal to work at MTM Studios in the 1980s, but while back on loan to Universal, he wrote and produced the pilot for “The Equalizer” with Richard Lindheim. The Edward Woodward-starring crime series aired on CBS in 1985 and ran for four seasons. Columbia Pictures rebooted the franchise with a trilogy of “Equalizer” films starring Denzel Washington between 2014 and 2023. Sloan served as a producer on all three films. In 2021, CBS rebooted the series on television starring Queen Latifah. It ran for five seasons before its finale in May.

Sloan wrote and produced several TV films, including ones based on “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” and “The Six Million Dollar Man.” He also wrote and produced episodes of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Call of the Wild,” “Outer Limits” and “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.” Beyond the screen, he wrote the play “Underground” starring Raymond Burr, which premiered a the Royal Alexander Theater in Toronto and then moved to London’s West End. He also wrote a series of “Equalizer” novels as well as a memoir titled “One More Thing, Sir…” about his experiences writing in Hollywood.

Sloan is survived by his wife of 35 years, Melissa, as well as their two children, Piper and Griffin, and his sister, Judy. Donations may be made to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to honor his love for animals.

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