Bud Yorkin
Encyclopedia
Bud Yorkin is an American
film and television producer, director, writer and actor.
Yorkin was born Alan David Yorkin in Washington, Pennsylvania
. He earned a degree in engineering from Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University
in Pittsbugh
, Pennsylvania
. In 1954, Yorkin became the producer of NBC
's The Tony Martin Show
, a 15 minute variety program which preceded the nightly news on Monday evenings. In 1956, he became the producer and director of Tennessee Ernie Ford
's NBC half-hour comedy/variety
program, The Ford Show
.
In 1958, Yorkin joined writer/producer Norman Lear
to form Tandem Productions
, which produced several motion pictures and television specials in the 1960s to 1971 with such major studios like United Artists
and Warner Bros.
Yorkin directed and produced the 1958 TV special An Evening With Fred Astaire
, which won nine Emmy Award
s. He later produced many of the hit sitcoms of the '70s, such as All in the Family
, Maude
, Good Times
, and Sanford and Son
.
In 1999, he and Lear
were awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of excellence and innovation in creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.
After his split with Lear, Yorkin went on to form Bud Yorkin Productions. His first sitcom after the split was the unsuccessful Sanford and Son spin-off sitcom Grady
. In 1976, he formed TOY Productions
with Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein (who produced Sanford and Son from 1974–1977), but their two hits were What's Happening!!
and Carter Country
.
Yorkin's film directing credits include The Thief Who Came to Dinner
, Divorce American Style
and Inspector Clouseau (film) of the Pink Panther series.
Yorkin is the father of television writer and producer Nicole Yorkin
. He is married to actress Cynthia Sikes
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and television producer, director, writer and actor.
Yorkin was born Alan David Yorkin in Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
. He earned a degree in engineering from Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in Pittsbugh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. In 1954, Yorkin became the producer of 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...
's The Tony Martin Show
The Tony Martin Show
The Tony Martin Show is a 15-minute weekly musical variety television series hosted by entertainer Tony Martin, which aired in NBC prime time from April 26, 1954, to February 27, 1956...
, a 15 minute variety program which preceded the nightly news on Monday evenings. In 1956, he became the producer and director of Tennessee Ernie Ford
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop, and gospel musical genres...
's NBC half-hour comedy/variety
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
program, The Ford Show
The Ford Show
The Ford Show is a half-hour comedy/variety program, starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, which aired in color on NBC television on Thursday evenings from October 4, 1956 to June 29, 1961....
.
In 1958, Yorkin joined writer/producer Norman Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
to form Tandem Productions
Tandem Productions
Tandem Productions, Inc. was a film and television production company that was founded in 1958 by Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear.-Tandem Productions:...
, which produced several motion pictures and television specials in the 1960s to 1971 with such major studios like United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
and Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
Yorkin directed and produced the 1958 TV special An Evening With Fred Astaire
An Evening With Fred Astaire
An Evening with Fred Astaire is a one-hour live television special starring Fred Astaire, broadcast on NBC on October 17, 1958. It was highly successful, winning nine Emmy awards and spawning three further specials, and technically innovative, as it was one of the first major television shows to be...
, which won nine Emmy Award
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...
s. He later produced many of the hit sitcoms of the '70s, such as All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, Maude
Maude (TV series)
Maude was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 22, 1978.Maude starred Beatrice Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken, middle-aged, politically liberal woman living in suburban Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York with...
, Good Times
Good Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
, and Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
.
In 1999, he and Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
were awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of excellence and innovation in creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.
After his split with Lear, Yorkin went on to form Bud Yorkin Productions. His first sitcom after the split was the unsuccessful Sanford and Son spin-off sitcom Grady
Grady (TV series)
Grady was an spin-off of the sitcom, Sanford and Son. In this series, Fred Sanford's widower friend Grady moves out of Watts and moves in with his daughter and her family in Westwood. Executive producer Norman Lear served as a consultant to the show.Redd Foxx made a special guest appearance as...
. In 1976, he formed TOY Productions
Tandem Productions
Tandem Productions, Inc. was a film and television production company that was founded in 1958 by Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear.-Tandem Productions:...
with Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein (who produced Sanford and Son from 1974–1977), but their two hits were What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...
and Carter Country
Carter Country
Carter Country is an American television sitcom that ran from 1977 to 1979 on ABC.-Synopsis:Carter Country was set in the fictional small town of Clinton Corners in Georgia Carter Country is an American television sitcom that ran from 1977 to 1979 on ABC.-Synopsis:Carter Country was set in the...
.
Yorkin's film directing credits include The Thief Who Came to Dinner
The Thief Who Came to Dinner
The Thief Who Came to Dinner is a 1973 comedy film directed by Bud Yorkin and based on the novel by Terrence Lore Smith. The film stars Ryan O'Neal and Jacqueline Bisset, with Charles Cioffi, Warren Oates, and in an early appearance, Jill Clayburgh....
, Divorce American Style
Divorce American Style
Divorce American Style is a 1967 American satirical comedy film directed by Bud Yorkin.Norman Lear produced the film and wrote the script based on a story by Robert Kaufman...
and Inspector Clouseau (film) of the Pink Panther series.
Yorkin is the father of television writer and producer Nicole Yorkin
Nicole Yorkin
Nicole Yorkin is an American television writer and producer. She is the daughter of Bud Yorkin. In 1997, she shared an Emmy nomination with several producers of Chicago Hope in the category "Outstanding Drama Series"...
. He is married to actress Cynthia Sikes
Cynthia Sikes
Cynthia Sikes is an American actress known for her television roles. On JAG, she played the love interest of Adm. Albert Jethro 'A.J.' Chegwidden . Her breakthrough role was playing Dr. Annie Cavanero on the critically acclaimed series St. Elsewhere, which she appeared in for the first three...
.
External links
- Bud Yorkin Famouswhy.com (primary source) accessed 29 January 2010