Alan Kirschenbaum (April 19, 1961 – October 26, 2012) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

television

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producer and writer.

Early life, family and education

Kirschenbaum was born in New York to stand-up comedian

Freddie Roman Freddie Roman (born Fred Kirschenbaum; May 28, 1937 – November 26, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, best known for his frequent appearances at "Borscht Belt" hotels. Early life Freddie Roman grew up in Jamaica, New York. His father ...

(a.k.a. Fred Kirschenbaum) and Ethel Kirschenbaum. He had a sister, Judi. Alan's paternal great-grandfather owned the Crystal Springs Hotel in the Catskills, where Freddie Roman began performing. Alan attended high school in New City, New York in

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. He graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

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with a degree in marketing in 1983.

Career

Television

His early work in television was as a writer for the

Judd Hirsch Judd Seymore Hirsch (born March 15, 1935) is an American actor. He is known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), John Lacey on the NBC series '' Dear John'' (1988–1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS seri ...

sitcom '' Dear John'' and the short-lived '' Everything's Relative''. He directed some episodes of the sitcom ''

Everybody Loves Raymond ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' is an American sitcom television series created by Philip Rosenthal that aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, with a total of 210 episodes spanning nine seasons. It was produced by Where's Lunch an ...

'' (created by his high school friend

Philip Rosenthal Philip Rosenthal (born January 27, 1960) is an American television writer and producer who is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005). In recent years, he has presented food and tr ...

) and was the head writer for ''

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'' for three seasons. He was a writer for ''

Baby Talk Baby talk is a type of speech associated with an older person speaking to a child or infant. It is also called caretaker speech, infant-directed speech (IDS), child-directed speech (CDS), child-directed language (CDL), caregiver register, parent ...

'', a co-creator, writer and producer of the sitcom ''

Yes, Dear ''Yes, Dear'' is an American television sitcom created by Alan Kirschenbaum and Gregory Garcia, that aired on CBS from October 2, 2000, to February 15, 2006, with the total of six seasons and 122 episodes. It starred Anthony Clark, Jean Lou ...

'', a producer/writer on ''

Raising Hope ''Raising Hope'' is an American sitcom that aired from September 21, 2010, to April 4, 2014, on Fox. Following its first season, the show received two nominations at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Martha Plimpton was nominated for Outstanding ...

'', creator of '' Down the Shore'' (hiring college friend

Lew Schneider Lew Schneider (born July 18, 1961) is an American television producer, writer, director, actor and comedian. Career In the fall of 1989, Schneider landed his first regular TV job as the host of the Nickelodeon game show, ''Make the Grade''. He ...

in the leading role and Phil Rosenthal to help with writing), and co-creator of the unaired series '' Friend Me''. He was a producer on '' Stark Raving Mad'' (an episode of which his father appeared in as himself) and '' Center of the Universe''.

Other endeavors

Kirschenbaum was also very involved in the sport of harness racing. He worked as a racehorse trainer in college at Liberty Bell Race Track in

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and at the

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in northern

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

for three years and reporter/commentator for

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on their Breeders Crown broadcasts. Kirschenbaum was an owner and horse breeder for many years. Kirschenbaum was also a supporter of the California Sire Stakes for harness horses. He was a supporter of the California Harness Horseman's Association, serving as president, along with being an avid amateur driver, racing in several East vs. West Coast challenges. Additionally, Kirschenbaum worked as an instructor for the

UCLA Extension UCLA Extension is a public continuing education institution headquartered in Westwood, Los Angeles, on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles. Classes are held at UCLA, in Downtown Los Angeles, and other locations throughout L ...

Writers Program.

Personal life

Kirschenbaum and his wife, actress and storyteller Vicki Juditz, had a daughter, Molly (born c. 1999). He died by suicide on October 26, 2012. He was found dead in his home in Burbank,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. His funeral was in New City, New York.

References

External links

*
Alan Kirschenbaum
at Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirschenbaum, Alan 1961 births 2012 deaths American television directors Television producers from New York City American television writers American male television writers Jewish American writers Suicides in California Writers from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) 2012 suicides 21st-century American Jews Burials at Kensico Cemetery