HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ronald Leavitt (November 7, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American television writer and producer. He was the co-creator (with Michael G. Moye) of the American television show '' Married... with Children''. The show's 259 episodes over 11 seasons made it the second-longest lasting sitcom on the
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...
network.


Life and career

Raised in 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
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...
, Leavitt began his television career in the 1970s writing episodes for the comedies '' Busting Loose'', ''
Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most su ...
'', ''
Laverne & Shirley ''Laverne & Shirley'' (originally ''Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney'') is an American sitcom television series that played for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of '' Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' st ...
'', and '' The Bad News Bears'' (for which he garnered an
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
award). In the early 1980s, in addition to writing and producing ''
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, ...
'' (for which he won a
People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls unt ...
and a second NAACP award), Leavitt co-wrote the pilot for ''
Silver Spoons ''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in broadcast syndication, first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy ...
'' and co-created and executive produced the
Jason Bateman Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor, director and producer known for his roles of Michael Bluth in the Fox/Netflix sitcom '' Arrested Development'' and of Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama series '' Ozark'' (201 ...
sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...
'' It's Your Move''. In the late 1980s, Leavitt co-created ''Married... with Children'', which, with its debut on the
Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations a ...
in 1987, broke many of the established rules and mores of television. He served as executive producer and wrote or co-wrote close to 150 episodes. Its longevity over 11 seasons made ''Married... with Children'' the second-longest running sitcom on Fox, just behind ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
''. Among its industry honors, ''Married... with Children'' earned seven Emmy nominations and an equal number of
Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nominations, including Best TV Series. The show became a springboard for Leavitt to create a number of spin-offs, initially ''
Top of the Heap ''Top of the Heap'' is an American sitcom that ran for seven episodes on Fox from April 7 until May 19, 1991, the most successful of three attempted spin-offs of '' Married... with Children'' (the other two being '' Radio Free Trumaine'' and '' ...
'', starring
Matt LeBlanc Matthew Steven LeBlanc (; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom '' Friends'' and in its spin-off series, '' Joey''. For his work on ''Friends'', LeBlanc ...
and Joseph Bologna, and '' Vinnie & Bobby'', starring Matt LeBlanc and Robert Torti. He subsequently co-created, executive produced, and wrote '' Unhappily Ever After''. In more recent years, Leavitt created and wrote several episodes of the WB's '' The Help''. Other achievements outside television include recognition by the State of California as Citizen Hero of the Year in 2001, and the equally notable accomplishment of out-eating wrestler King Kong Bundy in a cheesesteak sandwich-eating contest at Dominick's Kitchen while Bundy was guest-starring on ''Married... with Children''. He had two children, Matt and Samantha. He also had a long-time partner, Jessica Hahn. He died on February 10, 2008, from
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
.


Filmography

*'' Busting Loose'' (1977) *''
Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most su ...
'' (1978) *'' Brothers and Sisters'' (1979) *'' Makin' It'' (1979) *'' The Bad News Bears'' (1979) *''
Laverne & Shirley ''Laverne & Shirley'' (originally ''Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney'') is an American sitcom television series that played for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of '' Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' st ...
'' (1979) *''
Silver Spoons ''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in broadcast syndication, first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy ...
'' (1982) *''
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, ...
'' (1980-1984) *'' It's Your Move'' (1984-1985) (Co-Creator, with Michael G. Moye) *'' Married... with Children'' (1987-1997) (Co-Creator, with Michael G. Moye) *''
Top of the Heap ''Top of the Heap'' is an American sitcom that ran for seven episodes on Fox from April 7 until May 19, 1991, the most successful of three attempted spin-offs of '' Married... with Children'' (the other two being '' Radio Free Trumaine'' and '' ...
'' (1991) (Co-Creator, with Arthur Silver) *'' Vinnie & Bobby'' (1992) (Co-Creator, with Arthur Silver) *'' Unhappily Ever After'' (1995) (Co-Creator, with Arthur Silver) *'' The Help'' (2004)


References


Obituary of Ron Leavitt from the San Jose Mercury News


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leavitt, Ron 1947 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American Jews Deaths from lung cancer in California American television writers American male television writers People from Brooklyn Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American Jews