Richard David Rothstein was an American screenwriter and director.[1] He is best known for the original screenplay Universal Soldier,[2] which was followed by five sequels in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2012. He is the creator of the HBO TV series The Hitchhiker as well as the writer/director of many of the episodes. He has written many screenplays in the science fiction/horror genre and has had several graphic novels published. Rothstein died on April 16, 2018 at his home in Los Angeles.[3]
Rothstein was born in Torrington, Connecticut and grew up on Long Island. He attended Syracuse University, graduated from New York University, and got a J.D. from Temple Law School. He practiced law in New York for two years before coming to Los Angeles. He and his wife, Bushra, a psychoanalyst, reside in Los Angeles and have three children, Sara, Joshua, and Jessie as well as four grandchildren.