Loring Mandel Who Was Playwright and Screenwriter of Movies like 'Conspiracy' Has Died at 91

Playwright and screenwriter of the popular TV movie "Conspiracy," Loring Mandel, has died at the ripe old age of 91.

The son of the two-time Emmy Award recipient, Alan Mandel, told Hollywood Reporter that his father, Loring Mandel died of cancer at his home in Lenox, Massachusetts. The playwright battled with lung cancer before his death.

The drama specialist was born on May 5, 1928, in Chicago. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1949, where he studied writing and drama.

Mandel got a job writing for CBS anthology programs such as "Studio One in Hollywood," "The Seven Lively Arts," and "Playhouse 90". He got married to his wife, Dorothy, in 1950, and they had two sons.

In a three-hour-long interview the esteemed writer had with The Interviews in 2010, he talked about his early life and his humble beginning in local Chicago television, where he worked with the likes of Dave Garroway and Mike Wallace.

In the interview with Stephen Bowie, the late writer revealed that he had been "sort of a loner" in the writing business. Loring said,

"I've always found that my own level of interest is what drew me to something."

As a drama specialist, Mandel wrote the screenplays for "Countdown." He also wrote "The Cancer Tale Promises in the Dark" (1979), and, "The Little Drummer Girl" (1984).

The playwright was the head writer on the CBS soap opera, "Love of Life." He was nominated for an Emmy in 1975 for writing the CBS mini-series, "The Lives of Benjamin Franklin."

The Chicago native was nominated for an Emmy five times during his career, but he won twice. He won the first one in 1968 for writing an installment of CBS "Playhouse" and the second one for writing the BBC-HBO telefilm "Conspiracy" in 2001.

Mandel also received the Peabody and BAFTA awards. He served as president of the WGA East in the 1970s, and he was given the guild's Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for lifetime contributions to television, in 2004.

Late Loring Mandel was survived by his wife Dorothy; his son, Joshua, and Alan; his granddaughters, Hannah, Eliza, and Natalie; and his sister, Charlotte.