Barnet Kellman (born November 9, 1947) is an American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a 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 ...

and

film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Biography

Barnet Kellman (born November 9, 1947) is an American theatre,

and

, and educator, best known for the premiere productions of new American plays, and for the pilots of long-running television series such as Murphy Brown and

Mad About You ''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...

. He is the recipient of two

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 and a

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Catego ...

for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy. He is the co-founder and director of USC Comedy at the School of Cinematic Arts, and holds the school's Robin Williams Endowed Chair in Comedy.

Early life and education

Kellman was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and raised in suburban

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. His father, was Joseph A. G. Kellman, an attorney, and his mother was Verona Kellman (née Kramer). He attended the

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

, Phi Beta Kappa and graduated cum laude in 1969. He attended

Yale School of Drama The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...

, eventually earning his Ph.D from Union Institute at Antioch on a Danforth Graduate Fellowship. As a

Thomas J. Watson Thomas John Watson Sr. (February 17, 1874 – June 19, 1956) was an American businessman who served as the chairman and CEO of IBM. He oversaw the company's growth into an international force from 1914 to 1956. Watson developed IBM's manageme ...

Fellow, he studied theater and film in Europe and worked with renowned theater pioneer

Joan Littlewood Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 – 20 September 2002) was an English theatre director who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and is best known for her work in developing the Theatre Workshop. She has been called "The Mother of M ...

at her Theater Royal in Stratford, East London, appearing in her production of ''The Marie Lloyd Story''.

Theatre

Kellman began as an actor, joining Actors’ Equity at age nineteen. While still at Colgate, was an assistant to director Alan Schneider on the Broadway production of

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), '' The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), '' A Delicate Balance'' (1966) ...

's '' A Delicate Balance''. In the 1970s, he was a mainstay on New York City's Off-Broadway. He directed productions in the early seasons of Playwrights Horizons, and the Manhattan Theatre Club. His WPA Theatre production of Key Exchange introduced playwright Kevin Wade and moved to the Orpheum Theatre for a year long run, while his acclaimed Circle Rep production of ''Danny and the Deep Blue Sea'' introduced playwright

John Patrick Shanley John Patrick Shanley (born October 13, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film ''Moonstruck''. His play, '' Doubt: A Parable'', won the 2005 Pulitzer P ...

and actor

John Turturro John Michael Turturro (; born February 28, 1957) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his contributions to the independent film movement. He has appeared in over sixty feature films and has worked frequently with the Coen brothers, ...

. For

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created a y ...

's New York Shakespeare Festival, he directed the works of

David Rabe David William Rabe (born March 10, 1940) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1972 (''Sticks and Bones'') and also received Tony award nominations for Best Play in 1974 (''In the Boom Boom Room''), 19 ...

and William Hauptman. He was an Associate Director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival and, for ten years a regular director at the

Eugene O’Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier ...

Theatre Center's National Playwrights Conference associated with works by Shanley, Lee Blessing and Richard Dresser. His Hudson Guild production of Lee Kalcheim's ''

Breakfast with Les and Bess ''Breakfast with Les and Bess'' was an off-Broadway play written by Lee Kalcheim that originally premiered at Hudson Guild Theatre in October 1982 before transferring to Lamb's Theatre in May 1983. Plot synopsis It follows a radio celebrity co ...

'' had a long run at the Lambs Theatre. Other notable premieres include plays by

Israel Horovitz Israel Horovitz (March 31, 1939 – November 9, 2020) was an American playwright, director, actor and co-founder of the Gloucester Stage Company in 1979. He served as artistic director until 2006 and later served on the board, ex officio an ...

and

Donald Margulies Donald Margulies (born September 2, 1954) is an American playwright and academic. In 2000, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play ''Dinner with Friends''. Background and education Margulies attended John Dewey High School in Brookly ...

. He is a past board member of the Society of Directors and Choreographers.

Television and Film

Kellman got his start in the early 1980s as a director for soap operas such as the

NBC-TV The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

daytime soap opera series '' Another World'' and CBS's ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

''. He directed the Showtime adaptation of the long-running Broadway play, ''Gemini'', and the CBS special ''Orphans, Waifs and Wards''. He made his feature film directorial debut with the

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

screen adaptation of ''

Key Exchange Key exchange (also key establishment) is a method in cryptography by which cryptographic keys are exchanged between two parties, allowing use of a cryptographic algorithm. If the sender and receiver wish to exchange encrypted messages, each m ...

'', which starred Brooke Adams. An opportunity to direct the pilot episodes of half-hour TV comedies brought Kellman to Los Angeles. In his first pilot season he mounted pilots starring George Segal, Oprah Winfrey, Patty Lupone and Kenneth McMillan. His second pilot season brought success when his pilots of '' The Robert Guillaume Show'' and '' Murphy Brown'' were picked up as series. In 1999, Kellman directed the '' Murphy Brown'' finale episode, “Never Can Say Goodbye”. He won

s in 1990 and 1992 for his work. Kellman directed fifty pilots, half of which went to series, launching long runs such as

NBC's The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

'', ''

Suddenly Susan ''Suddenly Susan'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 19, 1996, to December 26, 2000. The series was created by Clyde Phillips and starred Brooke Shields in her first regular series. Shields played Susan Keane, ...

'', and ''

George Lopez George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rec ...

''. He also worked on CBS's ''

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason M ...

'', '' Felicity'', '' E.R.'', '' Ally McBeal'', ''

My Boys ''My Boys'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on November 28, 2006, on TBS (U.S. TV channel), TBS. The show deals with a sports columnist in Chicago, Illinois, played by Jordana Spiro, and the men in her life, including her brother an ...

'' and ''

8 Simple Rules ''8 Simple Rules'' (originally ''8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter'') is an American sitcom television series originally starring John Ritter and Katey Sagal as middle-class parents Paul and Cate Hennessy, raising their three chi ...

''. Kellman made his feature film directorial debut with the

screen adaptation of ''

'' which starred Brooke Adams. He went on to direct

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's 1992's ''

Straight Talk ''Straight Talk'' is a 1992 American romantic comedy film directed by Barnet Kellman and starring Dolly Parton, Jerry Orbach, Griffin Dunne and James Woods. Plot Shirlee Kenyon is a dance instructor living in Arkansas. Fired for giving advi ...

'' starring

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

as a sultry, wise-cracking DJ., and the Tri-Star release ''

Slappy and the Stinkers ''Slappy and the Stinkers'' is a 1998 American direct-to-video family adventure comedy film directed by Barnet Kellman. The film stars B. D. Wong and Bronson Pinchot. Its plot concerns a group of children who try to save an abused sea lion from ...

'' for

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

in 1998. In 2000, he directed the ABC television movie ''Mary and Rhoda'', reuniting

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), which ...

and

Valerie Harper Valerie Kathryn Harper (August 22, 1939 – August 30, 2019) was an American actress. She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut as a replacement in the musical ''Li'l Abner''. She is best remembered for her role as Rhod ...

. When Murphy Brown returned to the CBS schedule for an eleventh season in 2018, Kellman returned to direct the season finale.

Teaching career

In 2008, during a Writers Guild strike, Kellman joined the film faculties of the American Film Institute and the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(USC). In 2011, he was awarded tenure at USC and co-founded the school's groundbreaking comedy program, USC Comedy at the School of Cinematic Arts. In 2017, USC named him inaugural holder of its Robin Williams Endowed Chair in Comedy.

Awards and nominations

Emmy Award: Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series, ''Murphy Brown'' 1992 Emmy Award: Best Comedy, ''Murphy Brown'' - Producer 1990 Directors Guild Award: Outstanding Direction of a Comedy, ''Murphy Brown'' Pilot 1989 Monitor Award: Best Director, ''Pepsi – To The Victors'', starring Martin Sheen 1985 Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series, ''Murphy Brown,'' 1991 Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series, ''Murphy Brown'' 1990 Directors Guild Nomination: Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series, ''Murphy Brown,'' 1990 Emmy Nomination: Best Comedy ''Murphy Brown'' - Producer 1990 Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series, ''Murphy Brown'' 1989 Viewers For Quality Television Award 1989 Media Access Award 1989 Directors Guild Nomination: Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series, ''Murphy Brown'' 1988 Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series, ''Murphy Brown'' 1988 Daytime Emmy Nomination: Best Direction, ''Another World'' 1981

Selected filmography

Director

* ''

Samantha Who? ''Samantha Who?'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from October 15, 2007, to July 23, 2009. The series was created by Cecelia Ahern and Donald Todd, who also served as producers. Although highly rated during its first ...

'' * ''

Notes from the Underbelly ''Notes from the Underbelly'' is an American sitcom that was aired on ABC from 2007 to 2008, originally debuting as a mid-season replacement. The series is based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Risa Green, and was produced by Eric and Kim Ta ...

'' * ''

Four Kings ''Four Kings'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from January 5 to March 16, 2006, as a part of winter 2006 programming, but was cancelled before the end of the season. It starred Seth Green, Josh Cooke, Shane McRae, and Todd Gri ...

'' * ''

Living with Fran ''Living with Fran'' is an American television sitcom that aired on The WB. It starred Fran Drescher and Ryan McPartlin, and was co-created by Jamie Kennedy. The series debuted on April 8, 2005, and ran two seasons before ending on March 24, 2006 ...

'' * ''

Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

'' * ''

Mary and Rhoda ''Mary and Rhoda'' is a 2000 American made-for-television comedy-drama film starring Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper reprising their roles as Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern from the 1970–1977 sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. Alth ...

'' * '' Felicity'' * ''

Good Advice ''Good Advice'' is a 2001 comedy film starring Charlie Sheen, Angie Harmon, and Denise Richards. The film also features Jon Lovitz and Rosanna Arquette as a married couple in supporting roles. Plot Ryan Turner is a hotshot broker living an u ...

'' * '' Murphy Brown'' * '' ER'' * '' Bless This House'' * ''

'' * ''

'' * '' Another World'' * ''

True Jackson, VP ''True Jackson, VP'' is an American teen sitcom created by Andy Gordon for Nickelodeon. It aired from November 8, 2008, to August 20, 2011. The series stars Keke Palmer, Ashley Argota, Matt Shively, Danielle Bisutti, Greg Proops, Robbie Amell ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kellman, Barnet American male film actors American television directors Television producers from New York City 1947 births Living people Film directors from New York City Directors Guild of America Award winners Primetime Emmy Award winners Yale School of Drama alumni Colgate University alumni Union Institute & University alumni