Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Steve enjoyed police work. Vivid memories remain of assignments to Charles Manson and his gang, the S.L.A. gang with Patty Hearst, the Black Panthers gang, and a few infamous souls who worked alone: The Hillside Strangler; Richard Ramirez, a.k.a. the Nightstalker; and over 200 murderers sitting through their preliminary hearings in the L.A. Criminal Courts Building.
He'll never forget driving his first black-and- white to the L.A. Police Academy with the radio blaring, "Murder now! Robbery now! Burglary now!" and another "Murder now!" Steve quickly learned Los Angeles would be a true adventure. By 1986, his immediate family had accumulated 100 years as Los Angeles peace officers.
His father, Raymond J. Knight, Jr., and his uncle and neighbor, Robert F. Knight, were Los Angeles policemen. Steve's grandfather, Raymond J. Knight, Sr., joined the Los Angeles Sheriff's Office in 1929 after service (with even Shanghai, China in the 1920s) the Huntington Park Police Department. He helped found the L.A. FootPrinters Club with Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz in 1931. For three generations family dinner talk focused on police "war" stories. Steve grew up around such stories that fascinated and enlightened him with both grim reality and understanding of people mixed with humor.
Steve's Great Uncle James Knight, the engineer on the famous General Locomotive in the Civil War, received the first Congressional Medal of Honor from President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. This historical story is depicted in the films The General, The Great Locomotive Chase, and Andrews' Raiders. In 1974, Steve was allowed unlimited admission into the private A.B. Perkins Historical California Scholars Library at the main L.A. County Depository in Valencia, CA.
His just- acquired real estate license led him to an interest in the vast California ranchos. Their boundaries to this day are clearly outlined on old county maps. Such was the birth of his lifelong passion for California's historical past. His love of Los Angeles and Southern California grew beyond just being a native. Steve's novels "1853 Los Angeles Gangs" and "1857 Los Angeles Fights Again," are a labor of love comprising thousands of hours of research.
These exciting, action-filled stories read like a motion picture. Steve's education from the University of Redlands, Redlands, California, both graduate and undergraduate, led Steve to a successful post-law enforcement career in teaching college, owning and managing a 27-year court reporting business, several achievements in law enforcement publications and honors, and writing. Steve learned from his family and many careers to empathize with and appreciate all people, from the highest to the lowest. His unique ability to capture in the written word reality blended with understanding and humor is what makes him an endearing, outstanding storyteller.
Unique traits: Years of Knowledge from 9 careers and 36 job titles in and from: -The Grocery Business -A Newport Beach Policeman, NV Sheriff, and L.A. Marshal - Two police academies LAPD & L.A. County Sheriff-Marshal -The CA Horse Racing Tracks Betting Supervisor -As CA & NV Real Estate Broker -As College Instructor -In CA & NV Court Reporting Firms -Novelist 2 published books -Non-Fiction books 9 co-writer police books -Technical books -Articles -And screenwriting... -I'm an OLD SALT...
HORACE BELL Budget: $10M - $30M | Historical ⋄ Biography LOGLINE: TRUE Horace Bell and Juan Flores cross purposes when seeking retribution, one man following the law and the other revolution; their prize is gold-rich California.
HORACE BELL
In Development
SoCal Film Awards (Selected & Finalist Awards)
(2023)
Monthly Future of Film Awards (Honorable Mention)
(2022)
Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards (selected and Finalist)
(2021)
Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards (Honorable Mention)
(2021)
Script and Storyboard Showcase (Selected and Finalist Awards)
(2019)
FFIF-Filmstrip International Film Festival (Selected & Finalist Awards)
(2019)
Sacramento International Film Festival (Official Selection)
(2018)
California Film Awards (Award)
(2017)
Universe Multicultural Film Festival (Only Showcase by Actors)
(2017)
Long Island International Film Expo (Top 10 of 5,000 scripts)
(2017)
Los Angeles Independent Film Festival (Award)
(2017)
Hollywood International Moving Pictures Festival (Award)
(2017)
Oaxaca FilmFest Mexico (Selected and Finalist Awards)
(2017)
Scriptapalooza - (Two Consider Awards)
(2016)
Mexico International Film Festival (Award)
(2016)
University of Redlands
(1979-1984)