The first episode of the TV drama "Columbo" was directed by which famous movie director?

The TV series "Columbo", an American crime, mystery, and drama TV series stars Peter Falk as Frank Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on the NBC Network from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of "The NBC Mystery".

This beloved series directly focuses upon a brilliant bumbling detective (Columbo) who despite his easy going nature, always manages to crack the homicide case that he is handling. On the very first episode "Murder by the Book", which was written by Steven Bochco and directed by Steven Spielberg, its original air date was September 15, 1971 and it ran for 76 minutes. Besides Falk, the show also features John Finnegan, Bruce Kirby, and Shera Danese.

Spielberg, an American film director, producer, and screenwriter was born in December 1946. He began his career in the New Hollywood era and is one of the most commercially successful directors in history. Spielberg is a three-time Oscar winner, twice for directing and once for best picture.

Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He later moved to California and studied film in college. He directed box office hits "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), and the adventure films in the Indiana Jones series. Spielberg later explored drama in "The Color Purple" (1985), and "Empire of the Sun" (1987).