Michael Jacobs (born June 28, 1955) is an American television creator, writer and producer whose work has appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

Off Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

, television and film. He is the creator/producer or has written and developed several television series including '' Boy Meets World'', ''

Dinosaurs Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is the ...

'', ''

Charles in Charge ''Charles in Charge'' is an American sitcom television series that premiered on October 3, 1984, on CBS. The series was a production of Al Burton Productions and Scholastic Productions in association with Universal Television and starred Scott ...

'', '' My Two Dads'', ''

The Torkelsons ''The Torkelsons'' is an American sitcom television series which aired on the NBC television network from September 21, 1991, to June 6, 1993. Produced by Walt Disney Television in season 1 and Touchstone Television in season 2, the series sta ...

'', and ''

Girl Meets World ''Girl Meets World'' is an American comedy television series created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that premiered on Disney Channel on June 27, 2014. The series ran for three seasons, consisting of 72 episodes, and concluded on January 2 ...

''. His television shows have won the

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 ...

, People's Choice, Parent's Choice, Environmental Media Awards, and more.

Early life

Jacobs was born June 28, 1955, in Highland Park, New Jersey. He attended Highland Park High School (New Jersey). Jacobs grew up 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 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

;

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 Unit ...

; and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Career

Jacobs began his career as a writer and an actor. As an actor, he toured with the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, appeared in a Los Angeles production of Godspell, and made an appearance on the soap-opera ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

''. His play, ''Cheaters'', had its premiere in South Florida in 1977, winning the Carbonell Award for "Best New Play." It opened in 1978 at the Biltmore Theatre in New York, starring

Doris Roberts Doris May Roberts ( Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which bega ...

, Jack Weston, Lou Jacobi and Rosemary Murphy, when he was twenty-two years old, making him one of the youngest playwrights in Broadway history. His next play, ''Getting Along Famously'' was produced off-Broadway in 1984, at the

Hudson Guild The Hudson Guild is a community-based social services organization rooted in and primarily focused on the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1897 by Dr. John Lovejoy Elliott as a settlement house, with the intent ...

Theatre. His play, ''

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passa ...

'' opened on Broadway in 2009 at the

Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, formerly the Plymouth Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 236 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was ...

, starring

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...

and Joan Allen. He was nominated for the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

and

BAFTA Award for Best Film The BAFTA Award for Best Film is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. It has been given since the 1st BAFTA Awards, representing the best films of 1947, but until 1 ...

for producing the 1994 motion picture, ''

Quiz Show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, s ...

'', which also won the New York Film Critics Circle Award. He won the People's Choice Award (Best New Comedy) for '' My Two Dads'' and was nominated for the

Emmy Award 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 ...

(Outstanding Children's Program) for ''

'' in 2015 and again in 2016, and once again in 2017, which was also nominated for the

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 ...

, the WGA Award, the PGA Award, as well as the Kids' Choice Award and Teen Choice Award. In 2007, he produced the documentary, ''As Seen Through These Eyes'', about artists who were captured during the Holocaust and at risk of their lives created visual records so the world would know what happened. The film is narrated by

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

, ('' I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings'') and has been named "Best Film" or "Best Documentary" at multiple film festivals nationally and internationally. ''Maybe I Do'', the first feature film he wrote and directed will begin its run in theaters January 27, 2023. It stars

Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (''née'' Hall, born January 5, 1946) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Glo ...

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

, Susan Sarandon,

William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991 Additional on October 9, 2016) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television projects of the horror and thriller genres, she has received various accolades, including a Young Arti ...

, and

Luke Bracey Luke Bracey (born 26 April 1989) is an Australian actor. He is known for his work in films such as ''Monte Carlo'', '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'', ''The November Man'', ''Point Break'', and ''Hacksaw Ridge''; and for television series such as ''Ho ...

Television

His production company, Michael Jacobs Productions, has been in long-term development partnerships with

NBCUniversal Television Distribution NBCUniversal Syndication Studios (a.k.a. NUSS), formerly known as NBCUniversal Television Distribution (a.k.a. NUTD), Universal Domestic Television, Studios USA Television Distribution and MCA TV, is the television syndication division of NBCUniv ...

Columbia TriStar Television Columbia TriStar Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CTT) was an American television production and distribution company that was active from 1994 to 2002. It was operated as the third name of the early television studio Screen Gems and the fourth ...

Buena Vista Television Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,Boy Meets World'' celebrated its 25th anniversary on television, having been broadcast continuously since 1993 on ABC, Disney Channel, and currently on TeenNick and MTV2. Michael and the cast were reunited in June 2013, as the featured panel at the second annual ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas. He was quoted there as saying, "I don't see anything on television right now that is speaking to the audience I have always spoken to and care very much about." ''

'' premiered on June 27, 2014, running for three seasons to substantial success before Disney Channel ended the show, allegedly out of concerns the show's characters were aging out of the channel's target audience. In 2018, all episodes of '' Boy Meets World'' along with ''

'' began their run on the streaming service,

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...

. Both ''Boy Meets World'' and ''Girl Meets World'' have since moved to Disney Plus. Michael is also the writer or co-writer of the theme songs for ''

'', '' My Two Dads'', ''

'' and '' Lost at Home''.

Film

*''As Seen Through These Eyes'' (Documentary) 2007 *''

'' 1994 * ''Maybe I Do'' 2023

Television

*''

'' (Disney Channel; 2014–2017) *'' Lost at Home'' (ABC; 2003) *'' Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane'' (WB; 1999–2000) *'' You Wish'' (ABC; 1997–1998) *'' Maybe This Time'' (ABC; 1995–1996) *''

Misery Loves Company Misery Loves Company may refer to: * Misery Loves Co., a Swedish industrial metal duo * ''Misery Loves Company'' (album), a 2000 album by Rosemary's Sons * "Misery Loves Company" (Porter Wagoner song), 1962 * ''Misery Loves Company'' (TV serie ...

'' (FOX; 1995–1996) *'' Boy Meets World'' (ABC; 1993–2000) *''

Where I Live ''Where I Live'' is an American sitcom that premiered on March 5, 1993, as part of ABC's '' TGIF'' lineup. The series was created and executive produced by Michael Jacobs and Ehrich Van Lowe. Its final episode aired on November 20, 1993. Synop ...

'' (ABC; 1993–1994) *''

'' (ABC; 1991–1994) *'' The Torkelsons/Almost Home'' (NBC; 1991–1993) *'' Singer & Sons'' (NBC; 1990) *'' My Two Dads'' (NBC; 1987–1990) *'' Together We Stand'' (CBS; 1986-1987) *''

'' (CBS; 1984–1985; Syndicated; 1987–1990) *''

No Soap, Radio "No soap radio" is a form of practical joke and an example of surreal comedy. The joke is a prank whereby the punch line has no relation to the body of the joke; but participants in the prank pretend otherwise. The effect is to either trick someo ...

'' (ABC; 1982)

Theatre

*''Cheaters'' ( Biltmore Theatre) 1978 *''Getting Along Famously'' (

Theatre) 1984 *''

'' (

) 2009

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Michael 1955 births Film producers from New Jersey Living people People from Highland Park, New Jersey People from Middlesex County, New Jersey Showrunners Television producers from New Jersey