Kevin Patrick Curran (February 27, 1957 – October 25, 2016) was an American television comedy writer. He wrote for ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production compa ...

'', '' Married... with Children'', and ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

''. He was also the voice of Buck the Dog on ''Married... with Children'' (except for several episodes in which Buck was voiced by

Cheech Marin :''The surname'' Marin ''is of Spanish language origin. In Spanish, it is spelled'' Marín'', with an acute accent on the'' í. Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American actor, musician, comedian, and activist who gain ...

). In the sixth season episode "Psychic Avengers", Curran appeared briefly onscreen during the end sequence where, thanks to Madam Inga's curse, the Bundy family is turned into chimpanzees and Buck is turned into a human, in which Curran is credited as "Buck the Man" above the usual final credited character of "Buck the Dog". In addition to writing episodes and voicing Buck, Curran served as a

story editor Story editor is a job title in motion picture and television production, also sometimes called "supervising producer". In live action television, a story editor is a member of the screenwriting staff who edits scripts, pitches stories, and report ...

and supervising producer on ''Married... with Children''.

Biography

Curran attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

, where he was an editor of the ''

Harvard Lampoon ''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Overview The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates ...

''. He subsequently wrote for the '' National Lampoon'' and was the editor of the letters and cartoon sections. He also wrote for ''

'' for which he won three Emmys. He wrote Letterman's first "Top Ten List": "The Top 10 Things That Almost Rhyme With Peas". In 1989, he joined '' Married... with Children'', and, in 2000, he joined ''

'' where he was a co-executive producer. At ''The Simpsons'', Curran won three additional Emmys and was nominated in 2010 for a

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

for his episode " The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed". Curran was co-creator and executive producer of the shows '' The Good Life'' and '' Hardball''. He was an executive producer on the series ''

Unhappily Ever After ''Unhappily Ever After'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for 100 episodes on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 23, 1999, for a total of five seasons. The series was produced by Touchstone Television. Synopsis The series fo ...

'' with Ron Leavitt from 1997-1999. He won a WGA Award for ''The Earth Day Special''. Curran was in a relationship with the author

Helen Fielding Helen Fielding (born 19 February 1958) is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, and a sequence of novels and films beginning with the life of a thirty something singleton in Lo ...

from 1999 to 2006; the couple had two children. Curran died of complications from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on October 25, 2016, aged 59.

''The Simpsons'' episodes

Curran wrote the following episodes of ''The Simpsons'': *" Treehouse of Horror XIII" (the "Island of Dr. Hibbert" segment) *" I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can" *"

My Big Fat Geek Wedding "My Big Fat Geek Wedding" is the seventeenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 18, 2004. The episode was originally plan ...

" *"

Don't Fear the Roofer "Don't Fear the Roofer" is the sixteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 1, 2005, and guest-stars comedian Ray Romano and p ...

" *"

We're on the Road to D'ohwhere "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere" is the eleventh episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 29, 2006. Plot While messing around ...

" *"

The Wife Aquatic "The Wife Aquatic" is the tenth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 7, 2007. 13.9 million viewers watched this epis ...

" *"

Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes "Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes" is the first episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 28, 2008. In the episode, Homer meet ...

" *"

Rednecks and Broomsticks "Rednecks and Broomsticks" is the seventh episode in the twenty-first season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 29, 2009. In the episode, Lisa befr ...

" *" The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" *"

How Munched is That Birdie in the Window? How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seidma ...

" *" The Winter of His Content" *"

Homer Is Where the Art Isn't "Homer Is Where the Art Isn't" is the twelfth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 630th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Timothy Bailey and written by K ...

''Married... with Children'' episodes

Curran wrote the following episodes of ''Married... with Children'': *"Who'll Stop the Rain" *"You Gotta Know When to Fold 'Em (part 2)" *"Raingirl" *"Sue Casa, His Casa" *"Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" *"Weenie Tot Lovers & Other Strangers" *"She's Having My Baby (part 2)" *"If Al Had a Hammer" *"The Mystery of Skull Island" *"England Show III: We're Spending as Fast as We Can" *"Tis Time to Smell the Roses"

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curran, Kevin (writer) 1957 births 2016 deaths American television writers American male television writers The Harvard Lampoon alumni Harvard College alumni Emmy Award winners Deaths from cancer in California Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery