Jeffrey Grant "Jeff" Rice was an American author. He wrote the novel "The Night Stalker", creating the character Carl Kolchak, which was made into a television movie of the same name in 1972 starring Darren McGavin. This was followed by a sequel, "The Night Strangler", which Jeff also coauthored. This led to the creation of a shortlived television series, "Kolchak: The Night Stalker", which has had a loyal fan following. "The Night Stalker" was also responsible for providing inspiration for several movies and television series including “Werewolf”, “Men in Black”, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, and “The X-Files".