Russell Morash (born February 11, 1936) is an American

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. Morash's many

television program 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, ...

s are produced through WGBH and airing on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

Early life

Morash is a native of

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...

. Morash's father was a builder.

Education

In 1957, Morash graduated from the

Boston University College of Fine Arts The Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) at Boston University consists of the School of Music, the School of Theatre, and the School of Visual Arts. Each school offers degrees in the performing and visual arts at the undergraduate and grad ...

Career

Morash started his entertainment career as a cameraman for Boston public-television station WGBH-TV. In 1961, as a cameraman, Morash met Julia Child when she appeared on a WGBH program called ''I've Been Reading,'' while promoting her cookbook ''

Mastering the Art of French Cooking ''Mastering the Art of French Cooking'' is a two-volume French cookbook written by Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, both from France, and Julia Child, who was from the United States. The book was written for the American market and publishe ...

.'' Viewers flooded the station with calls and letters asking to see more. ''

The French Chef ''The French Chef'' is an American television cooking show created and hosted by Julia Child, produced and broadcast by WGBH, the public television station in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 11, 1963 to January 14, 1973. It was one of ...

'' premiered on WGBH in 1962 and then was distributed nationally by

American Public Television American Public Television (APT) is an American nonprofit organization and syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States. It distributes public television programs nationwide for PBS member stations and indepe ...

. Morash began directing ''The French Chef'' in 1963. They worked together on other cooking shows for more than thirty years. Morash's theater-inspired directorial style, and the technology of the day, required that the staff and host — all collected in a makeshift studio cobbled together with equipment that had escaped a massive station fire — would shoot each episode in one take. It established an in-the-moment template for a new kind of public television show that Morash took with him to launch other series, such as ''

This Old House ''This Old House'' is an American home improvement media brand with television shows, a magazine, and a websiteThisOldHouse.com. The brand is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The television series airs on the American television netw ...

'' and ''The Victory Garden''. ''The Victory Garden'' and ''This Old House'' spinoff series ''

The New Yankee Workshop ''The New Yankee Workshop'' is an American half-hour woodworking television series produced by WGBH Boston, which aired on PBS. Created in 1989 by Russell Morash, the program was hosted by Norm Abram, a regular fixture on Morash's television ser ...

'' were filmed in Morash's own backyard in Massachusetts.

Filmography

* 1955 MIT Science Reporter - Director, producer * 1962-1966

- Director, producer

Personal life

Morash's wife is Marian Morash, a James Beard Award-winning chef who also appeared on Julia Child's cooking show, appeared on ''The Victory Garden'' and edited ''The Victory Garden Cookbook''.

Portrayals

Fran Kanz plays Morash in the 2022

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

series ''

Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...

'' with

Sarah Lancashire Sarah-Jane Abigail Lancashire (born 10 October 1964) is an English actress from Oldham, England. She graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1986 and began her career in local theatre, whilst teaching drama classes at the ...

References

External links

This Old House
*
Boston Globe article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morash, Russell 1936 births Living people American television directors Television producers from Massachusetts Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni People from Lexington, Massachusetts This Old House