Beth Sullivan
Encyclopedia
Beth Sullivan is an American
film
and television
writer
and producer, best known as the creator of the long-running CBS
series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
.
Sullivan's great uncle Jack Sullivan
won an Academy Award in 1937 for his work on "The Charge of the Light Brigade
". The entertainment business then skipped a generation until Sullivan pursued a career in the television industry. She was formerly married to Jim Knobeloch and now lives with their children, Tess and Jack, in northern California
.
Sullivan most recently created, wrote and executive produced Ponderosa
, a ION Television-NBC
one-hour dramatic series prequel
to the classic TV series Bonanza
. Ponderosa completed filming its first season two-hour pilot and 18 one-hour episodes in Melbourne
in March 2002.
In May of that year, about to begin production on the second season, Sullivan was a passenger in an auto accident and suffered catastrophic injuries that required extensive hospital care and long-term recovery. She was able to return to the U.S. in 2007.
Sullivan created and served as executive producer
of Dr. Quinn (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, as well as winning several Emmys and 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 American
s, 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
for the promotion of literacy.
Prior to Doctor 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
.
Sullivan has brought her interest in drama to prime time made-for-television movies, as well. In the 1989-90 season, two of Sullivan’s telefilms, which dealt with timely social issues, aired on both NBC and CBS. 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 efforts on behalf of the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council.
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 and a former development and production executive in the television division of 20th Century Fox
Studio. Ms. Sullivan has lectured in the UCLA Writers Program and at the American Film Institute
.
For her contributions to the television industry, Sullivan received its highest award for a woman, the Life Achievement Award from the American Women in Radio and Television 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, Catholics In the Media, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
and an Emmy citation from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for her contributions to the medium.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and producer, best known as the creator of the long-running CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS...
.
Sullivan's great uncle Jack Sullivan
Jack Sullivan
Jack Sullivan was an assistant director.He won the Best Assistant Director award at the 9th Academy Awards for The Charge of the Light Brigade....
won an Academy Award in 1937 for his work on "The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)
The Charge of the Light Brigade is a 1936 historical film made by Warner Bros. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Samuel Bischoff, with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer, from a screenplay by Michael Jacoby and Rowland Leigh, from a story by Michael Jacoby based on the poem The...
". The entertainment business then skipped a generation until Sullivan pursued a career in the television industry. She was formerly married to Jim Knobeloch and now lives with their children, Tess and Jack, in northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Sullivan most recently created, wrote and executive produced Ponderosa
Ponderosa (TV series)
The Ponderosa is a television series developed by Bonanza creator David Dortort for PAX-TV that ran for the 2001–2002 television season. Envisioned as a prequel to the long-running NBC series Bonanza, it had less gunfire, brawling and other traditional western elements than the original...
, a ION Television-NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
one-hour dramatic series prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to the classic TV series Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
. Ponderosa completed filming its first season two-hour pilot and 18 one-hour episodes in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in March 2002.
In May of that year, about to begin production on the second season, Sullivan was a passenger in an auto accident and suffered catastrophic injuries that required extensive hospital care and long-term recovery. She was able to return to the U.S. in 2007.
Sullivan created and served as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
of Dr. Quinn (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
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
and People’s Choice Award nominations, as well as winning several Emmys and a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
. 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 American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
s, the Genesis Award for spotlighting animal issues, the Family Film Award for promoting family values
Family values
Family values are political and social beliefs that hold the nuclear family to be the essential ethical and moral unit of society. Familialism is the ideology that promotes the family and its values as an institution....
, the Environmental Media Award for raising environmental awareness, as well as a citation from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
for the promotion of literacy.
Prior to Doctor 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
The Trials of Rosie O'Neill is an American television drama series, which aired on CBS from 1990 to 1992. The show starred Sharon Gless as Fiona Rose "Rosie" O'Neill, a lawyer working in the public defender's office for the City of Los Angeles...
.
Sullivan has brought her interest in drama to prime time made-for-television movies, as well. In the 1989-90 season, two of Sullivan’s telefilms, which dealt with timely social issues, aired on both NBC and CBS. Most notably, A Cry For Help: The Tracey Thurman Story
A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story
A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story is a 1989 NBC TV-movie based on the 1984 case Thurman v. City of Torrington. The film stars Nancy McKeon as Tracey; Dale Midkiff as Buck; and Bruce Weitz as Tracey's lawyer, Burton Weinstein.- References :...
dramatized the landmark federal lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
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
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
Board of Supervisors for its use as a training instrument for law enforcement officers. Sullivan was also honored for her efforts on behalf of the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council.
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 and a former development and production executive in the television division of 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
Studio. Ms. Sullivan has lectured in the UCLA Writers Program and at the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
.
For her contributions to the television industry, Sullivan received its highest award for a woman, the Life Achievement Award from the American Women in Radio and Television 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
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
, the YWCA USA, Catholics In the Media, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501 non-profit organization whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that try to have a measurable impact on youth....
and an Emmy citation from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for her contributions to the medium.