Alan "Buz" Kohan (born August 9, 1933) is an American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

writer, producer and composer.

Early life

Kohan was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in the

Bronx, New York City The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

,Emmy TV Legends Interview: "Buz Kohan on how he got his nickname"
retrieved October 10, 2015 the son of Charles (b. 1902) and May Kohan. His father was in the

leotard A leotard () is a unisex skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso from the crotch to the shoulder. The garment was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard (1838–1870). There are sleeveless, short-sleeved, and ...

business and his mother was a housewife.

Career

Kohan studied at the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in 1955 and 1956, respectively. After working in New York, in 1967, he was offered work on ''

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, Ha ...

,'' relocating to Los Angeles. As a television producer, he produced many television specials, including ''

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

's Christmas Show'' (1970), ''

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signi ...

's Winter Show'' (1971), ''

and the Sounds of Christmas'' (1971), ''The

Arthur Godfrey Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname The Old Redhead. At the peak of his success, in the early-to-mid 1950s, Godf ...

Special'' (1972), ''

The Keane Brothers The Keane Brothers was an American pop music duo from 1976–82, composed of pre-teens, Tom Keane on piano and John Keane on drums. The duo released four albums and briefly hosted a television variety show on CBS. The brothers subsequently wen ...

Show'', '' Gene Kelly: An American in Pasadena'' (1978), and ''

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...

: Illusions'' (1982). As a writer, he wrote special material for ''Night of One Hundred Stars'', produced at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and theater at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplace of the Nation", it is the headquarters for th ...

, New York City in 1982, and also (with

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Academy Awards, Oscar and Tony Awards, Tony awards. This collection of all fou ...

, Christopher Adler, and Larry Grossman) ''Shirley MacLaine on Broadway'', produced at

Gershwin Theatre The Gershwin Theatre (originally the Uris Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 222 West 51st Street, on the second floor of the Paramount Plaza office building, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Opened in 1972, it is operate ...

, New York City, in 1984. He wrote songs with (and for) his dear friend singer-entertainer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, such as "You Were There" (a tribute to Sammy Davis Jr. sung by Jackson), "

Gone Too Soon "Gone Too Soon" is a ballad recorded and popularized by American musician Michael Jackson. It was written and composed by Larry Grossman and Buz Kohan. Dionne Warwick first performed (but never recorded) the song in February 1983 on a TV s ...

" (written during the early '80s, recorded later for Jackson's Dangerous album released in 1991 as a tribute to Ryan White), "Scared of the Moon" (a rare song from 1985, sung by Michael Jackson, released in 2004 by Sony Music), and "Make a Wish," a never-heard song written by Kohan and sung by Jackson, for the Steven Spielberg version of Peter Pan, ''Hook.'' He also co-wrote the Christmas classic "

Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" is a Christmas song performed by English singer-songwriter David Bowie and American singer Bing Crosby. Recorded on 11 September 1977 at ATV Elstree Studios near London for Crosby's television special ''Bing C ...

" for

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

and

Personal life

Kohan met his wife Rhea Arnold when she was working in Lake George, New York. They married on July 17, 1962, and they have three children together: Jono,

David Kohan David Sanford Kohan (born April 16, 1964) is an American television producer and writer. After writing for ''The Wonder Years'' and ''The Dennis Miller Show'', Kohan co-created and produced ''Will & Grace'', ''Boston Common'', '' Good Morning, M ...

(who are twins), and

Jenji Kohan Jenji Leslie Kohan (born July 5, 1969) is an American television writer and producer. She is best known as the creator and showrunner of the Showtime comedy-drama series '' Weeds'' and the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black''. S ...

. As Rhea Kohan, his wife has published the novels ''Save Me a Seat'' (Harper & Row, 1979) and ''Hand-Me-Downs'' (Random House, 1980). He and his children David and Jenji have all won Emmys, making them one of just 15 families with parents and children who have won.

References

External links

* * * * 1933 births Living people Television producers from New York City American male screenwriters Jewish American screenwriters American male composers 21st-century American composers Primetime Emmy Award winners American television writers Writers from the Bronx American male television writers Screenwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American Jews {{US-entertainer-stub