Michael Preece’s death at 88 closes a chapter that began in the glow of early television and stretched into the age of syndication and streaming. From his early days as a script supervisor on classics like True Grit and How the West Was Won, he learned to listen more than he spoke, to watch the actors, the camera, the crew, and quietly understand what made a moment live on screen. When he finally moved into directing, that quiet attention became his signature.

On Walker, Texas Ranger, Dallas, Baywatch, MacGyver, 7th Heaven, and many others, Preece was never the loudest voice on set, but he was often the one who saved the day. Cast and crew remember his calm when everything was falling apart, his patience when others were frayed, and his instinct for story when time and money were running out. Off set, he poured that same devotion into his sprawling family—children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even a great-great-grandson—who knew him not as a TV legend, but as the steady center of their world. His name may not have rolled first in the credits, but the shows that shaped millions of lives would not have been the same without him.