Leonard Katzman
Leonard Katzman | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, U.S. | September 2, 1927
Died | September 5, 1996 Malibu, California, U.S. | (aged 69)
Resting place | Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery |
Occupation(s) | Producer; screenwriter; director |
Years active | 1940s–1996 |
Known for | Showrunner of Dallas |
Spouse | LaRue Farlow |
Children | 4 |
Relatives | Ethan Klein (grandson) |
Leonard Katzman (September 2, 1927 – September 5, 1996) was an American film and television producer, writer and director. He was most notable for being the showrunner of the CBS oil soap opera Dallas.[1]
Early life and career
Leonard Katzman was born in New York City on September 2, 1927, to a Jewish family. He began his career in the 1940s, while still in his teens, working as an assistant director for his uncle, Hollywood producer Sam Katzman. He started out on adventure movie serials such as Brenda Starr, Reporter (1945), Superman (1948), Batman and Robin (1949), The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd (1951), Riding with Buffalo Bill (1954), et al.[1] During the 1950s he continued working as assistant director, mostly with his uncle, in feature films such as A Yank in Korea (1951), The Giant Claw (1957), Face of a Fugitive (1959) and Angel Baby (1961). Besides his big screen work, Katzman also served on television shows, including The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, The Mickey Rooney Show and Bat Masterson.
In 1960, Katzman made his production debut, serving not only as assistant director, but also as associate producer, on all four seasons of
Dallas
In 1978, Katzman served as producer for
While Katzman headed Dallas' writing staff from the show's second season, he remained producer, with
Katzman remained as executive producer on Dallas until the series finale in May 1991. Besides his production work, he also wrote and directed more episodes of the series than anyone else.
After Dallas
Following "Dallas", Katzman went on to create the short-lived crime drama Dangerous Curves (1992-1993), which aired as a part of
Personal life and death
Katzman fathered his first child, Gary Katzman, with Eileen Leener (1929-2019).[5] Katzman did not raise his first child and left his mother when he was 4 years old. The child was eventually adopted and took the surname Klein. Through Gary Klein, Katzman is the biological grandfather of Ethan Klein of the Israeli-American YouTube comedy channel h3h3Productions.[6]
Leonard Katzman and his wife LaRue Farlow Katzman
Katzman died of a
Filmography
Excluding work as assistant director.
Year | Title | Creator | Writer | Producer | Director |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960-1964 | Route 66 | ✓ | |||
1961 | Tallahassee 7000 | ✓ | |||
1965 | Space Probe Taurus (feature film) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
1965-1969 | The Wild Wild West | ✓ | ✓ | ||
1969-1970 | Hawaii Five-O, season 2 | ✓ | |||
1970-1971 | Storefront Lawyers | ✓ | |||
1970-1975 | Gunsmoke, seasons 16-20 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
1974 | Dirty Sally | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
1974-1976 | Petrocelli | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
1977 | The Fantastic Journey | ✓ | ✓ | ||
1977-1978 | Logan's Run | ✓ | ✓ | ||
1978-1991 | Dallas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
1985-1986 | Our Family Honor | ✓ | ✓ | ||
1992-1993 | Dangerous Curves | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
1994-1995 | Walker, Texas Ranger, season 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
1996 | Dallas: J. R. Returns (TV movie)
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Awards
1997: Lone Star Film & Television Awards - Special Award
References
- ^ a b c d Leonard Katzman; Prolific Director Produced 'Dallas', Los Angeles Times; September 8, 1996
- ^ a b c Haithman, Diane. "The Baron of 'Dallas' : Producer Reminisces on 10th Anniversary", Los Angeles Times; April 1, 1988
- ^ "UltimateDallas.com - Dallas Dream Season". Archived from the original on 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
- Perigee Trade, 1987
- ^ "Eileen LAYBHEN Obituary - Mission Hills, CA".
- ^ "H3 Podcast #11 - Ethan's Parents". YouTube. h3h3Productions (via YouTube). June 18, 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
- ^ "myheritage.com - LaRue Katzman".
External links
- Leonard Katzman at IMDb