Treva Silverman (born May 20, 1936) is an American

screenwriter 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 ...

, best known for her work on the 1970s sitcom ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...

''.

Early life and career

Raised in Cedarhurst,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, Silverman was one of at least three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Silverman. She attended

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont, United States. Founded as a women’s college in 1932,

, earning a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1959. In the 1960s and 1970s, Silverman also wrote scripts for '' That Girl'', ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

'', '' He & She'', ''

Room 222 ''Room 222'' is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC for 112 episodes, from September 17, 1969, until January 11, 1974. The show was broadcast on 1969 ...

'' and '' The Bill Cosby Show''. In an excerpt from an interview conducted by

WGAW WGAW (1340 AM) is a radio station licensed to Gardner, Massachusetts. Established in 1946 as WHOB, the station is owned by Steven Wendell and carries a talk radio format. History The station signed on December 23, 1946, as WHOB. It debuted at ...

, published in March 1997, Silverman cites as seminal influences the "world of fast, witty dialogue" epitomized by the 1930s Hollywood romantic comedy as well as the work of two writers in particular, namely

Robert Benchley Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist, newspaper columnist and actor. From his beginnings at ''The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays ...

and

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays based in New York; she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. Parker ros ...

—the former "for his benign, hilarious observations of behavior," and the latter "for her insight into relationships."

Awards

* 1974:

Emmy Awards 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 ...

, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for ''The Mary Tyler Moore'', "The Lou and Edie Story" * 1974:

, Writer of the Year - Series for ''The Mary Tyler Moore'', "The Lou and Edie Story"

Filmography

* 1964: ''

The Entertainers ''The Entertainers'' is a one-hour American variety show which aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, through March 27, 1965. Produced by Joe Hamilton, the series featured three hosts: Hamilton's then-wife Carol Burnett, Bob Newhart, and Cater ...

'' (TV series) – writer * 1967: '' NBC Experiment in Television'' (TV series) – writer (episode: "We Interrupt This Season") * 1967: '' That Girl'' (TV series) – writer * 1967: '' Captain Nice'' (TV series) – writer * 1966-1967: ''

'' (TV series) – writer * 1967: '' Accidental Family'' (TV series) – writer (episode: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Playground") * 1968: '' He & She'' (TV series) – writer (episode: "A Rock by Any Other Name") * 1968: ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'' is a TV Variety show, variety-Television comedy, comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves ...

'' (TV series) – writer * 1969: ''

'' (TV series) – writer * 1970: '' Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp'' (TV series) – writer * 1970: ''The Many Moods of Perry Como'' (TV series) – writer * 1971: '' The Bill Cosby Show'' (TV series) – writer * 1972: ''Oh, Nurse'' (TV movie) – writer * 1970-1974: '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show '' (TV series) – writer, executive story consultant * 1977: ''Vanities'' (TV movie) – writer * 1984: '' Romancing the Stone'' – writer * 1990: '' The Fanelli Boys'' (TV series) – producer, writer * 1994: ''De Sylvia Millecam Show'' (TV series) – writer

References

External links

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Meet Treva Silverman

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silverman, Treva American women television writers American television writers Primetime Emmy Award winners Living people People from Cedarhurst, New York Bennington College alumni Place of birth missing (living people) 1936 births