An executive producer at Warner Bros. studios in the 1950s, Orr presided over the studio’s entry into television. Calling on actors like Robert Conrad, James Garner, Connie Stevens, Clint Walker, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr, Orr produced Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, Cheyenne, Hawaiian Eye, and 20 other shows over a span of less than 10 years.
“Television began as a step-child” to movies, says Ron Simon, a curator at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City. “But because of Orr, it became equal with film in creating revenue and jobs for the studio.” Orr died on Christmas at home in Los Angeles. He was 85.