Steven E. Levitan (born April 6, 1962) is an American television producer, director, and screenwriter. He has created many television series such as ''

Just Shoot Me! ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series originally aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons, including 3 episodes aired on syndication. The show, cre ...

'', '' Stark Raving Mad'', '' Stacked'', '' Back to You'', ''

Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American television sitcom, created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, that aired on ABC for 11 seasons from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. The series follows the lives of three diverse but interrelated fa ...

'', and ''

Reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

''.

Early life and education

Levitan was raised

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. He attended Glenbrook South High School and

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

from 1980 to 1984, graduating with a bachelor's degree in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

. While at college, he started his career in comedy working on shows for Humorology, a philanthropic comedy review held annually by fraternities and sororities. He is a member of

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon () is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on March 9, 1856.Baird, William Raimond, ed. (1905).Baird's Manual of American College Fratern ...

fraternity.

Career

Levitan worked as a WKOW-TV on-air news reporter and morning anchorman in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, and as a copywriter at Leo Burnett Advertising in Chicago. He moved to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

in 1989. As executive producer, Levitan won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

in 1996 for ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...

'' in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. He was also nominated in that same year for Outstanding Writing in Comedy Series category for ''

The Larry Sanders Show ''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. Created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein, the show ran for six seasons and List of The Larry Sanders Show episodes, ...

''. He was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series category for ''

'' and two more as executive producer. Levitan won the

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an American award for film and television writing, presented to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful manner. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of ...

(for writers whose work best communicates and encourages human values) in 1996 for the ''

'' episode titled "Breaking the Ice". Levitan has also won a CableACE Award and a Writers Guild nomination for ''

''. He also garnered a Producers Guild Award and a Television Critics Association Award for ''

'', a People's Choice Award for '' Stark Raving Mad'' and a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

nomination for ''

'' His company, Steven Levitan Productions, has produced the series ''

'', '' Stark Raving Mad'', '' Greg the Bunny'', ''

Oliver Beene ''Oliver Beene'' is an American sitcom that aired on Fox from March 9, 2003 to September 12, 2004. The show was created by Howard Gewirtz. Set in 1962 and 1963, the show chronicled the trials and tribulations of the 11-to-12-year-old Oliver Be ...

'' and '' Stacked''. Levitan and television writer/producer

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and television shows since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future (franchise), ''B ...

joined as partners in 2006 and together created a production company named "Picture Day". It is under this company that they produced their co-creations '' Back to You'' and ''

''. In 2010, ''Modern Family'' won the

for Outstanding Comedy Series, as well as two other Emmy Awards: Outstanding Supporting Actor in Comedy Series for Eric Stonestreet, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Steven Levitan and

. He has also earned Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series nominations for ''Modern Family'' episodes " See You Next Fall" (2011) and "Baby on Board" (2012), winning the latter. On June 19, 2018, Levitan, along with

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orvill ...

and

Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian known for his work in comedy films. Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he wrote, produced, and directed his films ''The 4 ...

, announced he was considering leaving

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

as protest of

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

's reporting of Donald Trump's family separation policy which is at odds with ''Modern Family''s programming.

Personal life

Levitan was married to his wife Krista from 1992 to 2018. They have three children, two daughters Hannah and Allie, and a son, Griffin. In July 2021, Levitan became engaged to Kristina Maria McElligott. They married on September 17, 2022. The wedding was a reunion for many members of the ''Modern Family'' cast.

Filmography

''Modern Family''-related credits

Writer

Director

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Levitan, Steven 1962 births Living people 21st-century American Jews American male screenwriters American male television writers American showrunners American television directors American television producers American television writers Jewish American screenwriters Primetime Emmy Award winners Sigma Alpha Epsilon members American television show creators University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication alumni Writers Guild of America Award winners