Dick Clair (November 12, 1931 – December 12, 1988) was an American television producer, actor and television and film writer, best known for the television sitcoms ''

It's a Living ''It's a Living'' (renamed for season two as ''Making a Living'') is an American sitcom television series set in a restaurant at the top of the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The show aired on ABC from October 30, 1980, until June 11, 1982. ...

'', '' The Facts of Life'', and ''

Mama's Family ''Mama's Family'' is an American sitcom television series starring Vicki Lawrence as Mama (Thelma Harper). The series is a spin-off of a recurring series of comedy sketches called " The Family" featured on ''The Carol Burnett Show'' (1967–78 ...

''.

Early life

Clair was born Richard Jones in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. He served in the military for two years from 1955 to 1957. He never married or had children.

Career

In the early 1970s, Clair performed husband-and-wife comedy routines for ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

'' and ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'', not to be confused with the ''Dean Martin Variety Show'' (1959–1960), is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the ...

'' with his writing partner

Jenna McMahon Mary Virginia Skinner (May 24, 1925 – March 2, 2015), known professionally as Jenna McMahon, was an American writer, producer, actress and comedian. She was best known for her Emmy Award-winning work as a writer on the variety/sketch comedy p ...

. Clair was a screenwriter for episodes of ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...

'' and ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American sitcom television series produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a p ...

'' in addition to his Emmy Award winning writing for the comedy-variety TV program ''

The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Har ...

''. With Jenna McMahon he wrote and produced the television sitcoms ''

'', '' The Facts of Life'', and ''

''.

Cryonics involvement

Clair was active as an early member of the Cryonics Society of California in the 1960s. In 1982 he contributed $20,000 to the

cryonics Cryonics (from el, κρύος ''kryos'' meaning 'cold') is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticis ...

organization Trans Time so that a husband and wife could remain

cryopreserved Cryo-preservation or cryo-conservation is a process where organisms, organelles, cells, tissues, extracellular matrix, organs, or any other biological constructs susceptible to damage caused by unregulated chemical kinetics are preserved by co ...

in liquid nitrogen. He was diagnosed with AIDS in 1986. When he was hospitalized in 1988 he faced opposition from the hospital and the State of California concerning his desire for cryonics treatment. The ensuing court battle (''Roe v. Mitchell'', with Clair as "John Roe") ended victoriously, establishing the legal right of persons to be cryonically preserved in the state of California.

Death

Clair died on December 12, 1988, of multiple AIDS-related infections at the age of 57. He was cryopreserved at the

Alcor Life Extension Foundation The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, most often referred to as Alcor, is an American nonprofit, federally tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Alcor advocates for, researches, and performs cryonics, th ...

References

External links

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Dick Jones Enters Biostasis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clair, Dick 1931 births 1988 deaths AIDS-related deaths in California American male television actors Television producers from California American television writers American male television writers American LGBT writers American gay actors American gay writers Cryonically preserved people Emmy Award winners Male actors from San Francisco 20th-century American male actors American LGBT broadcasters Gay comedians 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 20th-century LGBT people