Beth Sullivan (born August 29, 1949, in Burbank, California) is an American film and television writer and producer, best known as the creator and executive producer of the

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 ...

series ''

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' is an American Western drama television series created and executive produced by Beth Sullivan and starring Jane Seymour, who plays Dr. Michaela Quinn, a physician who leaves Boston in search of adventure in the O ...

''.

Career

Sullivan created and served as the sole executive producer of ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' (a co-production of The Sullivan Company and CBS Entertainment Productions). In doing so, she was the first woman to succeed in a singular capacity in the traditionally male arena of one-hour drama "showrunners." The series received numerous Emmy and People’s Choice Award nominations and won several of each, plus a Golden Globe Award. In addition, the show attained widespread community acknowledgment, receiving the Heroes Memorial Foundation of the United States of America Founder’s Award for honorable recognition of Native Americans, the Genesis Award for spotlighting animal issues, the Family Film Award for promoting family values, the Environmental Media Award for raising environmental awareness, as well as a citation from the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

for the promotion of literacy. Prior to ''Dr. Quinn,'' Sullivan created and served as co-executive producer of the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning one-hour drama series ''

The Trials of Rosie O'Neill ''The Trials of Rosie O'Neill'' is an American drama television series which aired on CBS from September 17, 1990 to May 30, 1992. The show stars Sharon Gless as Fiona Rose "Rosie" O'Neill, a lawyer working in the public defender's office for th ...

.'' She was a Senior TV Story Analyst, TV Division for Twentieth Century Fox and was named developer of programming in 1978.Broadcasting. United States, Broadcasting Publications Incorporated, 1978. p. 63 Sullivan brought her interest in drama to prime time made-for-television movies, as well. In the 1989–90 season, two of Sullivan’s telefilms, both of which dealt with social issues, aired on NBC and CBS in November sweeps. Most notably, '' A Cry For Help: The Tracey Thurman Story'' dramatized the landmark federal lawsuit that resulted in legislation to strengthen police responsibility toward battered wives. It earned both critical acclaim and the highest movie rating of the season. In addition, it received a special commendation from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for its use as a training instrument for law enforcement officers. Sullivan was also honored for her work by the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council. After ''

'', Sullivan developed and executive produced the one-hour drama series The '' Ponderosa'' (a prequel to the series '' Bonanza'' created and produced by

David Dortort David Dortort (born David Solomon Katz; October 23, 1916 – September 5, 2010) was a Hollywood screenwriter and producer, widely known for his role as producer in two successful NBC television series: ''Bonanza'' (1959–73) and ''The High Chap ...

) for NBC/PAX from January 2000 until May 2002, when she was catastrophically injured in a car crash. She was then in long-term recovery for many years, while also caring for her twins, Tess and Jack, who were only six at the time of her traumatic injury. They're now in college, and Beth has recently resumed her writing and producing career. Sullivan is a past member of the Writers Guild of America - West Board of Directors and a former Trustee of the Guild Foundation. She is a graduate of the

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leadi ...

and a former development and production executive in the television division of

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 ...

Studio. Sullivan has lectured in the UCLA Writers Program and taught at the American Film Institute. For her contributions to the television industry, Sullivan received one of its highest honors, the Genii Award from the

American Women in Radio and Television The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) is a nonprofit organization created by women in 1951 that works to support women in the media in the United States. About The mission of the organization is to "advance the impact of women in broadcasting a ...

—now called Alliance for Women in Media—organization. As well, she has received top honors from the Women’s American Medical Association, the National Organization of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the

YWCA USA : ''For other uses, including specific buildings and chapters, see Young Women's Christian Association (disambiguation).'' YWCA USA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedo ...

, Catholics In the Media,

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to "create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth". Adult volunteers are matched with children from ag ...

and an Emmy citation from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for her contributions to the medium.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Beth 1949 births American women television producers Living people Medical fiction writers People from Burbank, California Television producers from California 21st-century American women