Barry Kemp (born December 4, 1949 in Hannibal, Missouri) is a television producer, director and writer, and a movie producer. He has written for numerous TV shows, but his two best-known creations are ''

Newhart ''Newhart'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990, with a total of 184 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. The series stars Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as an author and his wife, ...

'' (he wrote the oft-repeated line: "Hi, I'm Larry. This is my brother Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl"), which lasted for eight seasons on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

(1982–1990) and ''

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

'', which lasted for nine seasons on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

(1989–1997). He also wrote for ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

'' for four seasons and was the creator of ''Fresno'' and ''Delta''. Kemp's movie productions include ''

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion ''Romy and Michele's High School Reunion'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by David Mirkin and starring Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow, and Janeane Garofalo. The plot revolves around two 28-year-old girls who appear to have not achieved much s ...

'', ''

Patch Adams Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams (born May 28, 1945) is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971. Each year he also organizes volunteers from around the world to travel to var ...

'' and ''

Catch Me If You Can ''Catch Me If You Can'' is a 2002 American biographical crime comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks with Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams and James ...

''. Kemp is a 1971 graduate of the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

Department of Theatre Arts. Before he became a full-time writer, he was an executive with the

chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

. He originally planned to do ''

The Closer ''The Closer'' is an Television in the United States, American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department Chief of police#United States, deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator o ...

'' for CBS at

Paramount Television The original incarnation of Paramount Television was the name of the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, that was responsible for the production of Viacom television programs, until it changed its name ...

through Bungalow 78 Productions, but eventually moved to

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

with the new showrunners

Ed Decter Edward Ichabod "Ed" Decter (born May 19, 1959) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Early life and education Born in West Orange, New Jersey, Decter graduated from Wesleyan University in 1979. Career His credits include, ...

and

John J. Strauss John Jerome Strauss (born May 12, 1957) is an American Television producer, producer and writer of film and television. He has written and produced for the television series ''Boy Meets World'' (and known as the writer who came up with the char ...

Recognition

Kemp's productions received three nominations for

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s: ''Taxi'' for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (1982) and ''Newhart'' for Outstanding Comedy Series (1984 and 1985). In 1999, he received the

Valentine Davies Award The Valentine Davies Award, named after Valentine Davies, is a special award given to a member of the Writers Guild of America, West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media ...

from the

Writers Guild of America, West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 m ...

References

External links

* * American film producers American television directors American television producers American television writers American male television writers University of Iowa alumni Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 1949 births {{US-tv-producer-stub