PSYCHO - PSYCHO SCREENWRITER DEAD AT 84

PSYCHO SCREENWRITER DEAD AT 84

The man who penned the screenplay for cult thriller PSYCHO has died at 84. JOSEPH STEFANO, who was a close friend of Psycho director ALFRED HITCHCOCK, was also the co-creator of science-fiction TV series THE OUTER LIMITS. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native was also a talented pianist and lyricist, who began his career touring in a modern jazz band. His big break as a screenwriter came in the mid-1950s when he penned THE BLACK ORCHID, which became a hit film in 1958 starring ANTHONY QUINN and SOPHIA LOREN. He moved to Hollywood in 1960 and started work with Hitchcock on an adaptation of a ROBERT BLOCH novel for the big screen. The project became Psycho. Stefano's other celebrated screenplays have included EYE OF THE CAT, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS and Hitchcock's THE BIRDS.