Ib Melchior

Ib Melchior, a best-selling author, and son of opera singer, Lauritz Melchior, who also wrote and directed motion pictures in Hollywood with twelve feature films and numerous TV shows to his credit, passed away at the age of 97 at his home in West Hollywood.

He was born September 17th, 1917 in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he received his education, majoring in literature and obtaining a post graduate degree from the University of Copenhagen.  As co-director of the British Theatrical Company, he came to the United States to do a Broadway play just before the outbreak of World War II.  When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he offered his services to the US Armed Forces. 

He spent two years in the European Theater of operations as a Military Intelligence Investigator.  For his work, among other honors, he was decorated by the US Army and knighted by the King of Denmark. After the war he became active in television and began his writing career.  He directed over 500 TV shows, including “The Perry Como Show” and “The March Of Medicine.”

He won several national awards for TV and documentary film short subjects that he wrote and directed and he wrote several scripts for television series, among them “Men Into Space” and “The Outer Limits.”  As the creator of “Space Family Robinson”/“Lost In Space” he served as special advisor on the feature film produced by Prelude Pictures and New Line Cinema in 1998.

Melchior, author of the best-selling, critically acclaimed novels based on his own exploits as a CIC Agent in WW II, “Order of Battle,” “The Sleeper Agent,,” “The Haigerloch Project,” “The Watchdogs of Abaddon,” and “The Marcus Device” were recently republished by Open Road Integrated Media.  “The Tombstone Cipher” was published by Bantam, and “Eva,” “V-3,” and “Code Name Grand Guignol” were recently republished by Open Road integrated Media.  “Steps and Stairways" and “Reflections on the Pool” with Cleo Baldon, were published by Rizzoli.  “Quest,” “Hitler’s Werewolves” and “Case By Case” (autobiographical) by Presidio Press and “The Golden Years of Bayreuth” by Baskerville.  His current publications are “Melchior A La Carte” by Open Road Integrated media and seven unproduced screenplays, published by Bear Manor Media.  Melchior’s books have been published and translated in 25 countries.  His biography “Ib Melchior: Man of Imagination,” by Robert Skotak was published in 2000 by Midnight Marques Press. He is survived by his son, Leif Melchior, and his grandson,Torben Melchior.