William Bast | Prolific screenwriter, 84

William Bast, 84, a screenwriter who cocreated the nighttime TV soap opera

The Colbys

in the 1980s and wrote for numerous other shows, died May 4 at a care facility in Los Angeles.

Mr. Bast was nominated for an Emmy for his 1977 adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask. In addition to his television work that spanned more than 40 years, he wrote the movies The Betsy (1978) and The Valley of Gwangi (1969).

He was also known for his relationship with James Dean, whom he met when they were both studying at the University of California, Los Angeles. Mr. Bast's first book about the actor, James Dean: A Biography, was published in 1956, a year after Dean was killed in a car crash at 24.

In the introduction to his second book, Surviving James Dean (2006), Mr. Bast said his closeness with Dean was a constant in his life, even long after the actor's death. In the book, Mr. Bast said he had an affair with Dean.

Mr. Bast's episodic TV credits are extensive and include many top series. In the 1960s he wrote for Perry Mason, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare and The Fugitive, among others. In the 1970s, he wrote episodes of Mod Squad, The Waltons and Hawaii Five-O.

Mr. Bast was born in Wauwatosa, Wis., and earned a degree in theater arts from UCLA.

In 2005, at a Writers Guild event about gay and lesbian TV writers, Mr. Bast said he had to be closeted early in his career.

"Television is probably more riddled with gays than any other profession in the world," he said in an interview at the event, "but it was a strange time; being openly gay was still very difficult and professionally very dangerous. No one said anything to you, but you just didn't get the job unless your script was so hot they couldn't resist it." - L.A. Times