Bill Persky

Last updated
Bill Persky
Born (1931-09-09) September 9, 1931 (age 93)
Occupation(s)Television director
Screenwriter
Television producer
Actor
SpouseJoanna Patton (3rd wife)
ChildrenDana Persky
Jamie Persky
Liza Persky
Alexandra Feldon

Bill Persky (born September 9, 1931) is an American television director, screenwriter, and producer.

Contents

Biography

Persky was born to a Jewish family, the son of an estate auctioneer. [1] His father would travel between various resort towns where the wealthy lived to conduct estate auctions. [1] He has one older sister, Bunny Persky Grossinger, and attended Ramble Elementary School in Hot Springs, Arkansas. [1] During the summers, he worked as a lifeguard in the Borscht Belt in the Catskill Mountains. [1] He attended Syracuse University, where he studied advertising, and after school went to work for an advertising agency in New York City. [1] He then took a job at WNEW where he met Sam Denoff where they wrote jokes for the DJs out of fun which soon morphed into part of their job tasks. [1] The writing team moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, taking a job to write for The Steve Allen Show . [1]

Persky and Denoff wrote some of the most popular episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show . They later wrote and created the television show That Girl starring Marlo Thomas as well as Good Morning World starring Joby Baker and Ronnie Schell. Persky directed 100 episodes of the situation comedy Kate and Allie . [2] He also directed the situation comedies The Practice (1976) and Busting Loose (1977), and the movie Serial (1980).

In 2015, Persky appeared on the reality TV show NY:ER (Season 2, Episode 13) as himself after suffering a collapsed lung. In the appearance, Persky had his wife bring a copy of his book My Life as a Situation Comedy to the ER so he could sign a copy for his nurse. His wife also claimed to have brought him a bottle of bourbon, which was not shown.[ citation needed ]

Personal life

Persky has been married three times. He has three daughters with his first wife: neuropsychologist Dana Persky, restaurateur Jamie Persky, and television producer Liza Persky. He had fourth daughter, Alexandra Feldon, with his second wife Marsha Pinkstaff. His third wife is New York advertising executive Joanna Patton. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Dick Van Dyke Show</i> American sitcom (1961–1966)

The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961, to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Productions in association with the CBS Television Network, and was shot at Desilu Studios. Other producers included Bill Persky and Sam Denoff. The music for the show's theme song was written by Earle Hagen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Romano</span> American comedian and actor (b. 1957)

Raymond Albert Romano is an American stand-up comedian, and actor. He is best known for his role as Raymond "Ray" Barone on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, for which he won three Primetime Emmy Awards. He is also known for being the primary voice of Manny in the Ice Age franchise (2002–2016). He has received several other awards including nominations for two Grammy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Spelling</span> American film and television producer (1923–2006)

Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series Family (1976–1980), Charlie's Angels (1976–1981), The Love Boat (1977–1986), Hart to Hart (1979–1984), Dynasty (1981–1989), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000), Melrose Place (1992–1999), 7th Heaven (1996–2007), and Charmed (1998–2006). He also served as producer of The Mod Squad (1968–1973), The Rookies (1972–1976), and Sunset Beach (1997–1999).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Funt</span> American television producer (1914–1999)

Allen Albert Funt was an American television producer, director, writer and television personality, best known as the creator and host of Candid Camera from the 1940s to 1980s, as either a regular television show or a television series of specials. Its most notable run was from 1960 to 1967 on CBS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julianna Margulies</span> American actress (born 1966)

Julianna Margulies is an American actress. After several small television roles, Margulies received wide recognition for her starring role as Carol Hathaway in the NBC medical drama series ER, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award and six Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to four Golden Globe Award nominations. In 2009, she took on the lead role of Alicia Florrick in the CBS legal drama series The Good Wife (2009–2016). Her performance garnered critical acclaim, winning an additional two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Television Critics Association Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tina Louise</span> American actress (born 1934)

Tina Louise is an American actress widely known for her role as movie star Ginger Grant in the television situation comedy Gilligan's Island. Louise is the last surviving cast member.

<i>That Girl</i> American sitcom

That Girl is an American TV series sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966, to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character, Ann Marie, an aspiring actress who moves from her hometown of Brewster, New York, to try to make it big in New York City. Ann has to take a number of offbeat temp jobs to support herself in between her various auditions and bit parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Carroll Jr.</span> American television screenwriter

Robert Gordon Carroll Jr. was an American television writer notable for his creative role in the series I Love Lucy, the first four seasons of which he wrote with his professional partner Madelyn Pugh, and collaborator Jess Oppenheimer.

<i>Kate & Allie</i> American sitcom

Kate & Allie is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from March 19, 1984, to May 22, 1989, starring Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin as two divorced mothers who decide to live together and raise their children in the same home. The series was created by Sherry Coben.

Larry Charles is an American comedian, screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. He was a staff writer for the sitcom Seinfeld for its first five seasons. He has also directed the documentary film Religulous and the mockumentary comedy films Borat, Brüno, and The Dictator. His Netflix documentary series Larry Charles' Dangerous World of Comedy premiered in 2019.

<i>The Man Who Came to Dinner</i> Comedy in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart

The Man Who Came to Dinner is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of New York and London revivals. The first London production was staged at The Savoy Theatre starring Robert Morley and Coral Browne. In 1990, Browne stated in a televised biographical interview, broadcast on UK Channel 4, that she bought the rights to the play, borrowing money from her dentist to do so. When she died, her will revealed that she had received royalties for all later productions and adaptations of the play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Lieberstein</span> American actor and screenwriter

Paul Bevan Lieberstein is an American actor, screenwriter, television director and television producer. A Primetime Emmy Award winner, he is best known as a writer, executive producer, and supporting cast member Toby Flenderson on the NBC sitcom The Office. He served as the series' showrunner from seasons five to eight.

<i>Good Morning World</i> (American TV series) American TV series

Good Morning World is an American sitcom broadcast on CBS-TV during the 1967–1968 season, originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble on Tuesday nights at 9:30 pm ET. On January 7, 2017, reruns of the show began airing on the Antenna TV network.

Mel Tolkin was a television comedy writer best known as head writer of the live sketch comedy series Your Show of Shows during the Golden Age of Television. There he presided over a staff that at times included Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Danny Simon. The writers' room inspired the film My Favorite Year (1982), produced by Brooks, and the Broadway play Laughter on the 23rd Floor (1993), written by Neil Simon.

Samuel Denoff was an American screenwriter and television producer.

Jack Orman is an American television writer, producer and director. He worked extensively on ER, eventually becoming an executive producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Aylesworth</span> Canadian television writer and actor

John Bansley Aylesworth was a Canadian television writer, producer, comedian, and actor, best known as co-creator of the American country music television variety show Hee Haw, which appeared on network television for two years and then ran for decades in first-run syndication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie West</span> American screenwriter

Bernie West was an American television writer and actor best known for his work in situation comedies such as All in the Family, its spinoff The Jeffersons, and Three's Company.

The Montefuscos is an American sitcom that was cancelled after three episodes were broadcast in 1975. It aired on NBC, which chose to run a total of eight episodes from September 4 to October 23, 1975 despite its earlier cancellation notice. Created by executive producers Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, the comedy centered on three generations of an Italian-American family that lived in New Canaan, Connecticut and their weekly gatherings for Sunday dinner. It led off a Thursday prime time schedule that also featured new programs Fay, Ellery Queen and Medical Story.

<i>The Practice</i> (1976 TV series) 1976 American sitcom

The Practice is an American sitcom starring Danny Thomas that centers on a father and son who are both doctors in New York City. The show aired from January 30, 1976, to January 26, 1977.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Robey, Charity (November 17, 2017). "Shelter Island profile: Bill Persky, seeking the 'nothing fancy'". Shelter Island Reporter. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  2. Wendy S. Loughlin (April 15, 2010). "SU to host special event with Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, director Bill Persky '53 in New York City May 5". Syracuse University . Retrieved July 18, 2021.