Leonard Katzman
Encyclopedia
Leonard Katzman was an American
film and television screenwriter
, producer
, and director
.
Born in New York City
, New York
, he was the nephew of Hollywood producer Sam Katzman
. Although an outstanding baseball
player with the potential for perhaps making it in the Major Leagues
, he chose instead to follow the example of his successful uncle and go into the entertainment business.
Rather than the motion picture industry where his uncle worked for more than forty years, Katzman chose to make a career in television. He wrote scripts for television programs but made his mark as a producer for three major television series, including the long-running Gunsmoke
with James Arness
and Walker, Texas Ranger
, with Chuck Norris
, both on CBS
. However, he is best remembered for being the executive producer
of CBS's hugely successful series Dallas
.
(1956-1995), predeceased her father by one year.
in Malibu, California, three days after his 69th birthday. He was interred in the Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
in Los Angeles
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and television screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, and director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
.
Born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, he was the nephew of Hollywood producer Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman was an American film producer and director. Born into a poor Jewish family, Katzman went to work as a stage laborer at the age of 13 in the fledgling East Coast film industry...
. Although an outstanding baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player with the potential for perhaps making it in the Major Leagues
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, he chose instead to follow the example of his successful uncle and go into the entertainment business.
Rather than the motion picture industry where his uncle worked for more than forty years, Katzman chose to make a career in television. He wrote scripts for television programs but made his mark as a producer for three major television series, including the long-running Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
with James Arness
James Arness
James King Arness was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon in the television series Gunsmoke for 20 years...
and Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
, with Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
, both on 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...
. However, he is best remembered for being the 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 CBS's hugely successful series Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
.
Family
Katzman's daughter, actress Sherill Lynn RettinoSherill Lynn Rettino
Sherill Lynn Rettino was an American television actress best known for her recurring role in the television series Dallas as Jackie Dugan, Pamela Ewing 's co-worker at The Store, and later Cliff Barnes 's secretary at Barnes-Wentworth Oil...
(1956-1995), predeceased her father by one year.
Death
Katzman died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in Malibu, California, three days after his 69th birthday. He was interred in the Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries refers to two Jewish cemeteries in the Los Angeles, California metropolitan area. The original cemetery is located at 5950 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. The cemetery was originally established in 1953 by the neighboring Forest...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.