Thaddeus Quentin Mumford Jr. (February 8, 1951 – September 6, 2018) was an American

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...

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 wrote and produced for a number of television series spanning different genres, including ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...

'', ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...

'', '' M*A*S*H'', '' Maude'', '' Good Times'', ''

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating, making improvements or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electr ...

'', '' Roots: The Next Generations'', and ''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This television series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves ...

'', among other series.

Career

Often collaborating with fellow TV producer/director

Dan Wilcox Daniel Harris Wilcox (April 17, 1941 – February 14, 2024) was an American television producer and screenwriter. He won one and was nominated for four more Primetime Emmy Awards. Wilcox wrote the series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" of the ...

, Mumford wrote scripts and/or produced for a number of television series throughout his career varying different genres namely, ''M*A*S*H'' (all of those episodes he produced were co-produced with Wilcox), ''

'', ''

'', '' Maude'', ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'', '' Good Times'', ''

'', '' The Duck Factory'', '' ALF'', '' Roots: The Next Generations'', ''

'', amongst other series. In 1973, Mumford won a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

for his writing in '' The Electric Company''. In 1978, a ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' character was named after him (Dr. Thad of "Dr. Thad and the Medications", who sang "The Ten Commandments of Health"). Mumford also performed the voice for the character. Mumford also gained some renown working as a batboy for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Alleged connection to Basquiat Museum scandal

Unpaid storage units owned by Mumford that were auctioned off in May 2012 were said to contain an inscribed Emmy award, Yankees memorabilia, and multiple works on cardboard supposedly made by

Jean-Michel Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat first achieved notoriety in the late 1970s as part of the graffiti ...

. The works changed hands several times and were subsequently displayed at the Orlando Museum of Art before being confiscated by the FBI. While individuals implicated in the scandal have claimed various connections to Mumford, he signed a document in the presence of an FBI special agent stating, "At no time in the 1980s or at any other time did I meet with Jean-Michel Basquiat, and at no time did I acquire or purchase any paintings by him. Furthermore, at no time did I store any Basquiat painting at Ortiz Brothers Moving and Storage in Los Angeles or anywhere else."

Death

Mumford died after a long illness on September 6, 2018, aged 67, at his father's home in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, it is an edge city with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ...

. His father, Thaddeus Mumford Sr., died of cancer a few weeks earlier on August 3, 2018.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mumford, Thad 1951 births 2018 deaths American television producers American television writers American male television writers Primetime Emmy Award winners American voice actors Screenwriters from Washington, D.C. Writers Guild of America Award winners