Ronald Leavitt (November 7, 1947 – February 10, 2008)
was an American television writer and producer. He was the co-creator (with
Michael G. Moye
Michael George Moye (born August 11, 1954) is an American photographer and a former television writer and producer. In his television career he has written for shows such as ''The Jeffersons'', ''Diff'rent Strokes'', '' Good Times'', and ''227'' ...
) of the
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 show ''
Married... with Children''. The show's 259 episodes over 11 seasons made it the second-longest lasting sitcom on the
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 ...
network.
Life and career
Raised in a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family
in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, Leavitt began his television career in the 1970s writing episodes for the comedies ''
Busting Loose'', ''
Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most succ ...
'', ''
Laverne & Shirley
''Laverne & Shirley'' (originally ''Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney'') is an American sitcom television series that played for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of ''Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' star ...
'', and ''
The Bad News Bears
''The Bad News Bears'' is a 1976 American sports comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Bill Lancaster. It stars Walter Matthau as an alcoholic ex-baseball pitcher who becomes a coach for a youth baseball team known as the Bears. ...
'' (for which he garnered an
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
award). In the early 1980s, in addition to writing and producing ''
The Jeffersons
''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of List of The Jeffersons episodes, 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longe ...
'' (for which he won a
People's Choice Award
The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...
and a second NAACP award), Leavitt co-wrote the pilot for ''
Silver Spoons
''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy Television for the fi ...
'' and co-created and executive produced the
Jason Bateman
Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor, director and producer known for his roles of Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox/Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development (TV series), Arrested Development'' and of Mart ...
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''
It's Your Move
''It's Your Move'' is an American sitcom television series created by Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye, starring Jason Bateman, Tricia Cast, Caren Kaye, Ernie Sabella, David Garrison, and Garrett Morris. The show originally aired on NBC from S ...
''.
In the late 1980s, Leavitt co-created ''Married... with Children'', which, with its debut on the
Fox network
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
in 1987, broke many of the established rules and mores of television. He served as executive producer and wrote or co-wrote close to 150 episodes. Its longevity over 11 seasons made ''Married... with Children'' the second-longest running sitcom on Fox, just behind ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''. Among its industry honors, ''Married... with Children'' earned seven
Emmy
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 ...
nominations and an equal number of
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nominations, including Best TV Series.
The show became a springboard for Leavitt to create a number of spin-offs, initially ''
Top of the Heap
''Top of the Heap'' is an American sitcom that ran for seven episodes on Fox from April 7 until May 19, 1991, the most successful of three attempted spin-offs of '' Married... with Children'' (the other two being '' Radio Free Trumaine'' and '' ...
'', starring
Matt LeBlanc
Matthew Steven LeBlanc (; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' and in its spin-off series, ''Joey''. For his work on ''Friends'', LeBlanc re ...
and
Joseph Bologna
Joseph Bologna (December 30, 1934 – August 13, 2017) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter notable for his roles in the comedy films ''My Favorite Year'', ''Blame It on Rio'' and ''Transylvania 6-5000 (1985 film), Transylvania ...
, and ''
Vinnie & Bobby
''Vinnie & Bobby'' is an American television sitcom that aired on Fox from May 30 to September 5, 1992. The series is a spin-off of the 1991 sitcom '' Top of the Heap'', which was itself a spin-off of '' Married... with Children''. Series star ...
'', starring Matt LeBlanc and
Robert Torti
Robert Felix Torti (born October 22, 1961) is an American actor.
Torti originated the roles of Jesus and Jack in both the New York City and Los Angeles stage productions of ''Reefer Madness''.
Earlier in his career, Torti was honored with a To ...
. He subsequently co-created, executive produced, and wrote ''
Unhappily Ever After
''Unhappily Ever After'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for 100 episodes on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 23, 1999, for a total of five seasons. The series was produced by Touchstone Television.
Synopsis
The series fo ...
''. In more recent years, Leavitt created and wrote several episodes of the WB's ''
The Help
''The Help'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Kathryn Stockett and published by Penguin Books in 2009. The story is about African Americans working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s.
A ''USA To ...
''.
Other achievements outside television include recognition by the State of California as Citizen Hero of the Year in 2001, and the equally notable accomplishment of out-eating wrestler
King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan Pallies (November 7, 1955 – March 5, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, actor and stand-up comedian, better known by his wrestling gimmick and ring name, King Kong Bundy. Under this gimmick, he portrayed a pugnacious, ...
in a
cheesesteak
A cheesesteak (also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheesesteak sandwich, cheese steak, or steak and cheese) is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popular ...
sandwich-eating contest at Dominick's Kitchen while Bundy was guest-starring on ''Married... with Children''.
He had two children, Matt and Samantha. He also had a long-time partner,
Jessica Hahn
Jessica Hahn (born July 7, 1959) is an American model and actress. She accused televangelist Jim Bakker of rape while she was employed as a church secretary. She frequently appeared on ''The Howard Stern Show'' throughout the late 1980s and into ...
.
He died on February 10, 2008, from
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
.
Filmography
*''
Busting Loose'' (1977)
*''
Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most succ ...
'' (1978)
*''
Brothers and Sisters'' (1979)
*''
Makin' It'' (1979)
*''
The Bad News Bears
''The Bad News Bears'' is a 1976 American sports comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Bill Lancaster. It stars Walter Matthau as an alcoholic ex-baseball pitcher who becomes a coach for a youth baseball team known as the Bears. ...
'' (1979)
*''
Laverne & Shirley
''Laverne & Shirley'' (originally ''Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney'') is an American sitcom television series that played for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of ''Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' star ...
'' (1979)
*''
Silver Spoons
''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy Television for the fi ...
'' (1982)
*''
The Jeffersons
''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of List of The Jeffersons episodes, 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longe ...
'' (1980-1984)
*''
It's Your Move
''It's Your Move'' is an American sitcom television series created by Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye, starring Jason Bateman, Tricia Cast, Caren Kaye, Ernie Sabella, David Garrison, and Garrett Morris. The show originally aired on NBC from S ...
'' (1984-1985) (Co-Creator, with
Michael G. Moye
Michael George Moye (born August 11, 1954) is an American photographer and a former television writer and producer. In his television career he has written for shows such as ''The Jeffersons'', ''Diff'rent Strokes'', '' Good Times'', and ''227'' ...
)
*''
Married... with Children'' (1987-1997) (Co-Creator, with
Michael G. Moye
Michael George Moye (born August 11, 1954) is an American photographer and a former television writer and producer. In his television career he has written for shows such as ''The Jeffersons'', ''Diff'rent Strokes'', '' Good Times'', and ''227'' ...
)
*''
Top of the Heap
''Top of the Heap'' is an American sitcom that ran for seven episodes on Fox from April 7 until May 19, 1991, the most successful of three attempted spin-offs of '' Married... with Children'' (the other two being '' Radio Free Trumaine'' and '' ...
'' (1991) (Co-Creator, with
Arthur Silver
Arthur Silver (1853–1896) was a designer and founder of the Silver Studio. He was born in Reading in 1853. His grandfather had been in the cabinet-making business and his father, James Silver, was an upholsterer.
Education
In 1869 Arthur att ...
)
*''
Vinnie & Bobby
''Vinnie & Bobby'' is an American television sitcom that aired on Fox from May 30 to September 5, 1992. The series is a spin-off of the 1991 sitcom '' Top of the Heap'', which was itself a spin-off of '' Married... with Children''. Series star ...
'' (1992) (Co-Creator, with
Arthur Silver
Arthur Silver (1853–1896) was a designer and founder of the Silver Studio. He was born in Reading in 1853. His grandfather had been in the cabinet-making business and his father, James Silver, was an upholsterer.
Education
In 1869 Arthur att ...
)
*''
Unhappily Ever After
''Unhappily Ever After'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for 100 episodes on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 23, 1999, for a total of five seasons. The series was produced by Touchstone Television.
Synopsis
The series fo ...
'' (1995) (Co-Creator, with
Arthur Silver
Arthur Silver (1853–1896) was a designer and founder of the Silver Studio. He was born in Reading in 1853. His grandfather had been in the cabinet-making business and his father, James Silver, was an upholsterer.
Education
In 1869 Arthur att ...
)
*''
The Help
''The Help'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Kathryn Stockett and published by Penguin Books in 2009. The story is about African Americans working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s.
A ''USA To ...
'' (2004)
References
Obituary of Ron Leavitt from the San Jose Mercury News
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leavitt, Ron
1947 births
2008 deaths
20th-century American Jews
Deaths from lung cancer in California
American television writers
American male television writers
People from Brooklyn
Screenwriters from New York (state)
20th-century American screenwriters
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American Jews