Bernie West (May 30, 1918 – July 29, 2010) was an American

television writer A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and actor best known for his work in

situation comedies A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home ...

such as ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...

'', its spinoff ''

The Jeffersons ''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985. Lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes, ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history ...

'', and '' Three's Company''.

Biography

Born on May 30, 1918, in the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, New York City as Bernard Wessler, to Russian-Jewish immigrants; he earned his undergraduate degree from

Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City, United States. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the colle ...

, earning a

Bachelor of Business Science The Bachelor of Business Science (BBusSci) is a four-year honours level degree providing for a scientifically based study of economic and management sciences, "premised on the application of quantitative methods". The degree is offered in South A ...

in advertising. West worked as a nightclub comedian, and performed on tour with the U.S.O. in the Pacific Theatre after being rejected from the military due to medical issues. As part of the comedy duo Ross & West, he toured the hotel circuit in the Catskills and Poconos with Ross Martin, quipping, "Everything we did may not have been original, but what we stole was good!" After Martin left, he was replaced by college friend Mickey Ross who changed his name from Isadore Rovinsky so the comedy duo could retain the Ross & West name.

Broadway and film credits

West appeared on Broadway in the 1956 production of '' Bells Are Ringing'', creating the comedic character of Dr. Kitchell, the frustrated dentist who composed songs on a compressed air hose. He reprised that role in the 1960 film version starring

Judy Holliday Judy Holliday (born Judith Tuvim, June 21, 1921 – June 7, 1965) was an American actress, comedian, and singer.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', June 9, 1965, p. 71. She began her career as part of a nightclub act before working in Bro ...

and

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

. He also appeared in 1962's '' All American'' by

Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...

and starring Ray Bolger, ''

Poor Bitos Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse

'' with Donald Pleasence, '' The Beauty Part'' with

Bert Lahr Irving Lahrheim (August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967), known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American stage and screen actor and comedian. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Z ...

and the 1969 production of '' The Front Page'' alongside

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur (; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress. Often referred to as the "First Lady of American Theatre", she was the second person and first woman to win EGOT, the EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and ...

. TV appearances included ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'', '' Car 54 Where Are You?'', and '' The Phil Silvers Show'' (to whose namesake he bore a passing resemblance). He also had a guest shot on '' Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.''.Weber, Bruce. t
"Bernie West, a TV Writer Known for ‘All in the Family,’ Dies at 92"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', August 3, 2010. Accessed August 3, 2010.

Television work

After submitting a script for the show in 1971, West and partner Mickey Ross became writers for

Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (July 27, 1922December 5, 2023) was an American screenwriter and producer who produced, wrote, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear created and produced numerous popular 1970s sitcoms, including ''All in the Family'' (1 ...

's ''All in the Family'', working with another partner,

Don Nicholl Donald Nicholl (August 9, 1925 – July 5, 1980) was an English screenwriter and producer who later worked in the United States. Early life Nicholl was born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Sunderland, England. He worked as a journalist, columnis ...

, as producers. West won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

in 1973 for his writing on the episode "The Bunkers and the Swingers", together with Ross and Lee Kalcheim.Thursby, Keith
"Bernie West dies at 92; writer and producer on 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons'"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', August 4, 2010. Accessed August 3, 2010.Barnes, Mike
"Emmy winner Bernie West dies at 92: Worked on 'All in the Family,' 'Jeffersons,' 'Three's Company'"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', August 2, 2010. Accessed August 3, 2010. The writing team created the character played by Bea Arthur as the lead in the ''All in the Family'' spinoff '' Maude''. The trio wrote and produced ''The Jeffersons'', another spinoff from ''All in the Family'' that ran for a decade starting in 1975. They created, produced, and wrote for the short-lived situation comedy '' The Dumplings'', whose pilot aired in 1975 and which ran as a weekly series in early 1976. In 1977, they adapted for US audiences a British sitcom into ''Three's Company'', which ran until 1984, as well as that show's less-successful spinoffs ''

The Ropers ''The Ropers'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from March 13, 1979, to May 15, 1980. It is a Spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Three's Company'' and loosely based on the British sitcom ''Geo ...

'' and '' Three's a Crowd''. Together with his wife Mimi, who died in April 2004, West was a generous contributor to the Los Angeles Free Clinic. She had first discovered the Clinic after driving her husband to his job writing for ''All in the Family''. West regularly contributed a portion of his salary while his wife worked there without pay. In 1997, the couple donated $500,000 towards the provision of pediatric dental care for those children without access to dentists.The History of Saban Community Clinic
, Saban Community Clinic. Accessed August 3, 2010. West died at age 92 on July 29, 2010, at his home in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

due to complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. He was survived by two daughters and two grandsons.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Bernie 1918 births 2010 deaths American male screenwriters American male television writers Television writers from California Baruch College alumni Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California Deaths from dementia in California Mass media people from Beverly Hills, California Primetime Emmy Award winners Screenwriters from New York City Television producers from California Television producers from New York City American television show creators Townsend Harris High School alumni Writers from the Bronx