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Small Screen's Record-Holding Director Reza Badiyi Dies At 81

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Reza Badiyi, who created some of the greatest opening sequences in small-screen history, has died, family friends announced Sunday.

The 81-year-old died "peacefully" Saturday evening at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, family spokeswoman Bita Milanian said.

During his career, Badiyi created the opening sequences for the original "Hawaii Five-O" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," according to several biographies of the Iranian-born director.

Badiyi started his career as a cinematographer and worked with such giants as Sam Peckinpah and Robert Altman. In 1963, he branched into television, eventually directing more than 430 episodes of TV series.

Directoral credits include "Mission Impossible," "Hawaii Five-O," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "Baywatch," and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Plans for a memorial service have not been released.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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