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John Conboy (March 1934 – January 2018) was an American
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
producer until his death in January 2018.


Life and career

Conboy was born in 1934 in
Binghamton, New York Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the c ...
. After high school, he graduated from
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...
's College of Fine Arts. Conboy started his entertainment career as an actor. In 1970, he switched to a producing role, starting with the show '' Love is a Many Splendored Thing''. He 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 as a producer on ''
The ABC Afternoon Playbreak ''The ABC Afternoon Playbreak'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast on ABC from 1973 to 1975. The ninety-minute dramas aired once a month and featured some of the more popular television and film stars of the 1970s (Dia ...
''. Conboy then became a producer on ''
The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
'', eventually rising to executive producer and earning two more Emmys. In 1982, Conboy left ''The Young and the Restless'' and became executive producer of the newly created
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
soap opera '' Capitol''. He served as the show's executive producer until the series was cancelled in 1987. During the last few years of ''Capitol'', he created ''Casino'' which was set in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. It was not picked up. Conboy was hired as executive producer of the
NBC Daytime NBC Daytime was the daytime programming block of NBC. It historically featured many soap operas, game shows, and talk shows. Its main competitors were CBS Daytime (Paramount) and ABC Daytime (Disney). Game shows were removed from NBC Daytime's ...
soap opera '' Santa Barbara'' in 1990, and won his fourth Emmy Award as producer. However, the show's ratings did not improve, and he was let go in 1991. In December 2002, after nearly a decade of not working in daytime, Conboy was hired as executive producer of ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'', succeeding longtime executive producer
Paul Rauch Paul Rauch (December 23, 1933 – December 10, 2012) was an American television and film producer. Rauch's work was primarily in American soap operas. Career Rauch's earlier jobs included Vice President, Programs-East Coast for CBS, Supervising P ...
, who stepped down the month prior and interim executive Mary Alice Dwyer-Dobbin. One-year later, Conboy reportedly walked out of his role as executive producer as ''Guiding Light'' following several disputes with the serial's producers
Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/con ...
, however, he later returned. In a statement, Conboy stated: "Procter & Gamble, CBS and I agree that my work on ''Guiding Light'' is not finished. I look forward to continuing our incredible partnership and all the terrific stories we have yet to tell." In February 2004, it was announced that Conboy would no longer serve as executive producer; Ellen Wheeler was named as his successor. Conboy died in 2018.


Positions held

'' Capitol'' * Executive Producer (March 1982– March 1987) ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'' * Executive Producer (December 2002 – March 2004) '' Love Is a Many Splendored Thing'' * Producer (1970–1973) '' Santa Barbara'' * Executive Producer (July 1991 – December 1991) ''
The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
'' * Executive Producer (March 1973 – February 1982) ''
The ABC Afternoon Playbreak ''The ABC Afternoon Playbreak'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast on ABC from 1973 to 1975. The ninety-minute dramas aired once a month and featured some of the more popular television and film stars of the 1970s (Dia ...
'': "The Other Woman" ''After Hours: From Janice, John, Mary and Michael, with Love'' ''After Hours: Singin', Swingin' and All That Jazz'' ''The Solitary Man'' (directed by
John Llewellyn Moxey John Llewellyn Moxey (26 February 1925 – 29 April 2019) was an Argentine-born British film and television director. He was known for directing the horror film '' The City of the Dead'' (also known as ''Horror Hotel'', 1960) and directing episod ...
& written by Jim Byrnes)


Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
Wins * (1990; Outstanding Drama Series; ''Santa Barbara'') * (1975 & 1983; Outstanding Drama Series; ''The Young and the Restless'') * (1974; Outstanding Drama Special) Nominations * (1990; Outstanding Drama Series; ''Santa Barbara'') * (1975–1976, 1978–1979, 1983; Outstanding Drama Series; ''The Young and the Restless'')


Executive Producing Tenure


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conboy, John American soap opera producers Place of birth missing 1934 births 2018 deaths American soap opera writers People from Binghamton, New York