Jeff Steve Harris (June 10, 1935 – February 2, 2004) was an American television

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, producer and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

. He was the co-creator of the American television

family sitcom A family-friendly product or service is one that is considered to be suitable for all members of an average family. Family-friendly restaurants are ones that provide service to families that have young children. Frequently, family-friendly produc ...

Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which originally aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and ...

'', which he created with

Bernie Kukoff Bernie Kukoff is an American television director, producer and writer. He has produced and written for the television series '' Operation Petticoat'', '' A Touch of Grace'', ''The Cosby Show'', '' Thea'', '' Detective School'' and ''Diff'rent Str ...

. Harris co-scripted the 1984 film ''

Johnny Dangerously ''Johnny Dangerously'' is a 1984 American crime comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling; two of its four screenwriters, Jeff Harris and Bernie Kukoff, had previously created the hit series ''Diff'rent Strokes''. The film, a parody of 1930s c ...

'' with Bernie Kukoff,

Harry Colomby Harry Colomby (August 20, 1929 – December 25, 2021) was an American talent manager, producer and screenwriter. While still a schoolteacher of English and social studies at a High School in New York City, he became the manager of the jazz piani ...

and

Norman Steinberg Norman Steinberg (June 6, 1939 – March 15, 2023) was an American television director, producer and screenwriter. Steinberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 6, 1939. He was a lawyer before starting writing. He wrote several projects wit ...

. His other credits include, ''

Roseanne ''Roseanne'' is an American television sitcom created by Matt Williams (producer), Matt Williams that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May ...

'', ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

'', ''

Operation Petticoat ''Operation Petticoat'' is a 1959 American World War II submarine comedy film in Eastmancolor from Universal-International, produced by Robert Arthur, directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. The film tells in flash ...

'', ''

Detective School ''Detective School'' (a.k.a. ''Detective School – One Flight Up'') is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC for four months in 1979, for a total of 13 episodes. The show was about an assortment of students who went to night school to l ...

'' and ''

The New Dick Van Dyke Show ''The New Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American sitcom starring Dick Van Dyke that aired on CBS from 1971 to 1974. It was Van Dyke's first return to series television since '' The Dick Van Dyke Show''. Background CBS was so eager to have Dick V ...

''. He also appeared in two Broadway plays ''Winesburg, Ohio'' and ''Tall Story''. Harris died in February 2004 of

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

in his sleep, at his home in

East Hampton, New York East Hampton is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York United States. It is located at the eastern end of the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town i ...

, at the age of 68.

Filmography

Acting work

Producing work

Writing work

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Jeff 1935 births 2004 deaths American male television writers American television writers American male television actors American television producers Deaths from emphysema 20th-century American screenwriters