Alan Rafkin (born Alfred Irwin Rafkin; July 23, 1928 – August 6, 2001) was an American director, producer, and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

for

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

Biography

Rafkin was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to Til and Victor Rafin. He attended

Admiral Farragut Academy Admiral Farragut Academy, established in 1933, is a private, college-prep school serving students in grades K-12. Farragut is located in St. Petersburg, Florida in Pinellas County and is surrounded by the communities of Treasure Island, Gulfpo ...

in Pine Beach, New Jersey and Syracuse University in New York. Alan Rafkin was one of the most prolific sitcom directors of all time, helming such series as ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom, situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in colo ...

'', ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Prod ...

'', ''

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. Moo ...

'', ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. T ...

'', '' It's Garry Shandling's Show,'' ''

Murphy Brown ''Murphy Brown'' is an American television sitcom created by Diane English that premiered on November 14, 1988, on CBS. The series stars Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for ''FYI'', a ...

'', '' Get Smart'', ''

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

'', '' The Tim Conway Show'', ''

Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers ''Friends and Lovers'' (also known as ''Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers'') is an American sitcom starring Paul Sand which centers on a musician in Boston, Massachusetts, and his personal relationships. It was Sand's only starring role in a televis ...

'', and '' Viva Valdez''. According to his autobiography ''Cue the Bunny on the Rainbow'' (its title is taken from a direction on ''

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television progra ...

''), Rafkin directed episodes of over 80 different sitcom series. He won an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for an episode of "One Day At A Time" and two CableACE Awards for his work on "It's Garry Shandling's Show". During his career he worked with legendary producers such as

Sheldon Leonard Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle-cla ...

, Danny Thomas, and

Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (born July 27, 1922) is an American producer and screenwriter, who has produced, written, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear is known for many popular 1970s sitcoms, including the multi-award winning '' All in the Fami ...

. Rafkin had endearing relationships with many of his actors including Andy Griffith,

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and telev ...

, Jerry Van Dyke,

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), whi ...

, Bob Newhart and

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. ...

. (He was also close with

Don Knotts Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924February 24, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on '' The Andy Griffith Show'', a 1960s sitcom for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He als ...

, directing him on the Griffith show and in three feature films.) At the same time, he had volatile relationships with several others, including Demond Wilson and Craig T. Nelson. Rafkin died of heart disease in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 73.

Filmography

As director: * '' Ski Party'' – 1965 * '' The Ghost and Mr. Chicken'' (1966) * ''

The Ride to Hangman's Tree ''The Ride to Hangman's Tree'' is a 1967 American Western film directed by Alan Rafkin and written by Luci Ward, Jack Natteford and William Bowers. The film stars Jack Lord, Melodie Johnson, James Farentino, Don Galloway, Richard Anderson and E ...

'' (1967) * '' The Shakiest Gun in the West'' (1968) * ''

Angel in My Pocket ''Angel in My Pocket'' is a 1969 American comedy film directed by Alan Rafkin and starring Andy Griffith. One of three films originally planned by Universal Pictures to star Griffith, it also features Lee Meriwether, Jerry Van Dyke, Kay Medford, ...

'' (1969) * '' The Good Guys'' (1969) ** "Winer, Diner and Mover" ** "The Chimp" * '' The Tim Conway Show'' (1970) ** "Mail Contract" * '' How to Frame a Figg'' (1971) * ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom '' Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC One in the Unit ...

'' ** various episodes * ''

'' (1974) ** "Fiddler in the House" ** "Dreyfuss and Dreyfuss, Associates" ** "All's Well That Ends" ** "The Groupie" *'' Viva Valdez'' (1976) ** all 12 episodes * '' One Day at a Time'' ** various episodes * '' It's Garry Shandling's Show'' * ''

Laverne & Shirley ''Laverne & Shirley'' (originally ''Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney'') is an American sitcom television series that played for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of '' Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' st ...

'' (1977) ** various episodes * '' The Love Boat'' (1977) * ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

'' (1977) ** "A Night to Remember" I dream of Jeannie G.I Jeannie S1,Ep 5 Bewitched A vision of Sugar Plums S2,Ep 15

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rafkin, Alan 1928 births 2001 deaths Admiral Farragut Academy alumni American male television actors American television directors Emmy Award winners Television producers from New York City Syracuse University alumni 20th-century American male actors