Robert Kirkman and Kevin Smith have paid tribute to Harlan Ellison, recalling the influence that the legendary science fiction writer had on movies such as 'The Terminator.'

"Anyone working in genre stories can’t claim that they have no influence from Harlan Ellison," Kirkman, creator of comic book series "The Walking Dead," said to IMDb.

Ellison, who died on June 28 at 84 years old, wrote episodes of "The Twlight Zone," "The Outer Limits," and "Star Trek" among others.

Speaking to filmmaker Kevin Smith for IMDb, Kirkman said: "He touched every form of science fiction and everything orbiting that world. His contribution to the world can’t be underplayed. It’s something that all creative people hope for: Can I affect a genre, a medium in the way that someone like that does? He accomplished something monumental. It’s a tragic loss."

Smith recalled Ellison's episode of "The Outer Limits" from 1964 titled "Soldier," which led to a lawsuit against Orion Pictures after claims that 'The Terminator' drew ideas from the story. It was settled out of court and a credit was added.

"If you looked at a 'Terminator' VHS or watched in the theater when it came out, there was a credit that wasn't there that when you watched a LaserDisc later on. It said 'Acknowledgement to the works of Harlan Ellison'."

"I’m a fan. I know these things," Kirkman said.

Reflecting on how Ellison's name should be remembered, Smith said: "To genre enthusiasts of a certain age, [Ellison] is there constantly. To this next generation, maybe not as much.

"It’s up to people like us to say: "Hey, there was this great writer who laid a lot of track that other people traveled on for the rest of their careers.""

Ellison also acted as a conceptual consultant on "Babylon 5" and a creative consultant on the 1980s series of "The Twilight Zone" as well as writing the short story upon which post-apocalyptic feature "A Boy and His Dog" was based and the screenplay to 1966 drama feature "The Oscar."

Watch the full interview here...