William Allyn

Television and film producer William Allyn, whose films include "Cousins" and "Rich and Famous," died Jan. 3 at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of complications from heart disease. He was 71.

A native of New York, Allyn began his career as a stage actor. As a teenager, he landed his first role with Marlon Brando in Broadway's "A Flag Is Born." He also acted on Broadway in "Ring Around the Moon" and toured with Julie Harris in "I Am a Camera."

He later turned to directing, then spent many years producing shows for TV, including about 350 episodes of "Peyton Place" and such TV movies as "And No One Could Save Her" and "The Last Child."

In 1971, he produced his first TV movie for ABC, "The Last Child," and produced the Lee Remick starrer "And No One Could Save Her," which was the first ABC telefilm to be lensed out of the country.

Allyn worked closely with his wife, Sandra Smith Allyn, on several projects, including NBC specials "The Story of Princess Grace" and "Echoes of the Sixties," as well as Hallmark's "Spring Awakening."

On the bigscreen, Allyn specialized in remakes. His first major hit was the 1981 George Cukor-directed "Rich and Famous," starring Candice Bergen and Jacqueline Bisset, a remake of the 1943 drama "Old Acquaintance."

In 1989, Allyn produced "Cousins," helmed by Joel Schumacher and starring Ted Danson and Isabella Rossellini, which reprised the French film "Cousin, Cousine."

In recent months, Allyn had been working on a remake of 1937's "Stage Door."

In addition to his wife, Allyn is survived by his daughter, Francesca.

Services will be private. Family suggests contributions in Allyn's name be made to Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles) Blood Donor Facility or the UCLA Film & Television Archives.