Ron Friedman dies at 93 after shaping Transformers movie and G.I. Joe animated legacy

Ronald I. Friedman, the acclaimed television and film writer best known for shaping classic animated series such as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and The Transformers: The Movie (1986), has died at the age of 93. According to Variety (Sept. 15, 2025), Friedman passed away from cardiopulmonary arrest at the Motion Picture and Television Fund in Woodland Hills, California.

Born in West Virginia in 1932 and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Friedman earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Carnegie Mellon University before pursuing a career in entertainment. Over the decades, he became a prolific contributor to American television, amassing more than 700 hours of written content. His early work included episodes for beloved sitcoms such as The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched, Gilligan’s Island, The Odd Couple, and Happy Days. He also contributed to series including My Favorite Martian, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, The Partridge Family, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and That’s My Mama.

In 1966, Friedman received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his writing on The Danny Kaye Show. His live-action credits further extended to shows like Chico and the Man, Starsky and Hutch, The Fall Guy, and Fantasy Island.

Transitioning into animation, Friedman became a key writer for Hasbro and Marvel projects, most notably penning episodes of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero in the 1980s and serving as a writer for The Transformers: The Movie. In the 1990s, he continued contributing to Marvel’s animated universe with scripts for Iron Man and Fantastic Four (1994). He also worked on Warner Bros. Animation’s Taz-Mania, which aired from 1991 to 1995.

Ron Friedman leaves behind a lasting legacy in both live-action and animated television. He is survived by his wife, Val.