Burton Armus (born December 11, 1934 in

New York City, New York 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 ...

) is an American police officer, actor, writer and television producer. Armus' Hollywood career began when, while he was still serving as an NYPD detective assigned to the 48th Squad in the Bronx, he was hired to be the

technical advisor In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a ...

on the TV series ''

N.Y.P.D. The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

'' in 1967. He also wrote the episode "Boys Night Out" for that series. Later, still a serving detective, he was picked by

Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on th ...

to act as a technical adviser on the ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, it ...

'' series. He also acted in three of the episodes, and wrote nine of them. Following his retirement from the police department he moved to Los Angeles and became a successful writer and producer. He is now retired from this second career. Director

Richard Donner Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker whose notable works included some of the most financially-successful films during the New Hollywood era. According to film historian M ...

, who directed three episodes of ''Kojak'', named a detective in his blockbuster film ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

'' after Armus.

Awards

In 1994, Armus won a

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

for 60 Minute Category (''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

''; 1993), which was shared with

David Milch David Sanford Milch (born March 23, 1945) is an American writer and producer of television series. He has created several television shows, including ABC's ''NYPD Blue'' (1993-2005), co-created with Steven Bochco, and HBO's '' Deadwood'' (2004-20 ...

. He received 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 ...

nominations that same year, one for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Drama Series (''NYPD Blue'') and the other for Outstanding Drama Series (''NYPD Blue''). He garnered another Emmy nomination in 1995, for Outstanding Drama Series (''NYPD Blue'').

Filmography

Actor

*''Kojak'' (Three episodes) *''

Inside Moves ''Inside Moves'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Richard Donner. The film is based on the book of the same name by Todd Walton, with a script by then writing duo Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson. Plot After a suicide attempt leave ...

Writer

*'' Tarzan - The Epic Adventures'' (pilot episode) *''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving esp ...

'' (Three episodes) *'' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (Two episodes) *''NYPD Blue'' (Six episodes) *''

Street Hawk ''Street Hawk'' is an American superhero television series that aired for 14 episodes on ABC in 1985. The series is a Limekiln and Templar Production in association with Universal Television. Its central characters were created by Paul M. Belou ...

'' (One episode) *'' The New Dragnet'' (Eight episodes) *''

The New Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' (also known as ''The New Adam-12'') is a Broadcast syndication, syndicated revival of the Adam-12, 1968–1975 series of the same name. Like the original, this program focused on the daily jobs and lives of two police officers whose p ...

'' (Eight episodes) *''

The Fall Guy ''The Fall Guy'' is an American action/adventure television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonli ...

'' (Two episodes) *''Cassie & Company'' (Three episodes) *''

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

'' (One episode) *''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The serie ...

'' (One episode) *'' Policewoman'' (Two episodes) *''Kojak'' (Nine episodes) *''N.Y.P.D.'' (One episode)

Producer

*''The New Adam-12'' (20 episodes) *''The New Dragnet'' (26 episodes) *''Airwolf'' (1st Season) *''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' *''NYPD Blue'' *''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series ''Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

Technical Advisor

*''N.Y.P.D.'' (four episodes) *'' Delvecchio'' (four episodes) *''Kojak'' (Ninety-five episodes)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Armus, Burton Living people American soap opera writers American male television writers 1934 births