Ellen Idelson (June 13, 1961 – September 19, 2003) was an American television producer, television writer and actress.

Life and career

Idelson was born

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. She is the daughter of actor and television writer

Bill Idelson Bill Idelson (August 21, 1919 – December 31, 2007) was an actor, writer, director and producer widely known for his teenage role as Rush Gook on the radio comedy ''Vic and Sade'' and his recurring television role as Herman Glimscher on ''The ...

and actress Seemah Wilder. She attended

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

and the

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

American Repertory Theatre Advanced Training Institute, following the career paths of both her parents. As a television producer and writer she worked on the series ''

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three chi ...

'', '' Caroline in the City'', ''

Ellen Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena and Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004. People named Ellen include: * Ellen Adarna (born 1988), Filipino actress * Elle ...

'', ''

Boy Meets World ''Boy Meets World'' is an American coming-of-age sitcom created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that aired on ABC for seven seasons between September1993 and May2000. The series centers on Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and his friends and famil ...

'', ''

Will & Grace ''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra Messing), ...

'', ''

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, ...

'', ''

Grosse Pointe Grosse Pointe refers to an affluent coastal area next to Detroit, Michigan, United States, that comprises five adjacent individual cities. From southwest to northeast, they are: *Grosse Pointe Park *Grosse Pointe *Grosse Pointe Farms *Grosse Poi ...

'' and ''

Working Working may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community Arts and media * Working (musical), ''Working'' (musical), a 1978 musical * Working (TV series), ''Working'' (TV s ...

'' (only as a producer), with all of the aforementioned work being with fellow writer and producer

Rob Lotterstein Rob Lotterstein is an American screenwriter and producer. He has written and produced for numerous television sitcoms including ''Boy Meets World'', ''Suddenly Susan'', '' Ellen'' and ''Will & Grace'', as well as serving as creator and executive ...

. As an actress she did a number theatre work performing in local Los Angeles theaters, including the Mark Taper Forum and productions of Theatre West and the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival. She also appeared on television in sketches of ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

'' and having small roles in ''

''. In 2001, she had the lead role in the independent film ''Moose Mating''. Idelson also helped found Los Angeles Theatresports, serving as artistic director.

Death

Idelson died on September 19, 2003, at the

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

due complications from cancer and

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension ...

, a disease she suffered from for much of her life. She was 42 years old. The pilot episode of

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

sitcom '' The War at Home'' was dedicated in her memory.

(writer) & Andy Cadiff (director). "Pilot" '' The War at Home'',

. September 11, 2005. Episode 1, season 1. The series was created and executive produced by Idelson's former producing and writing partner,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Idelson, Ellen 1961 births 2003 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Television producers from California American women television producers American television writers Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from Crohn's disease People with Crohn's disease Institute for Advanced Theater Training, Harvard University alumni Actresses from Los Angeles San Francisco State University alumni American women television writers Screenwriters from California 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American women