Martha Williamson

Last updated

Martha Williamson
Born1955 (age 6869)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Occupation(s)Executive producer, writer
PartnerJon Andersen
Website marthawilliamson.com

Martha Williamson is a television producer, best known as the head writer and executive producer of the long-running hit CBS television series Touched by an Angel . [1]

Contents

Martha began her career in television working on musical variety programs for Carol Burnett, Walt Disney Television, and others. She wrote and produced for half-hour comedies such as the long-running The Facts of Life and The Family Man with Gregory Harrison. She made the transition to one-hour drama as producer of Jack's Place for ABC Television and Co-Executive Producer of the CBS series Under One Roof , which starred James Earl Jones. In 1994 she became the Executive Producer of Touched by an Angel. Currently, she is the creator of the TV series Signed, Sealed, Delivered, which has aired since October 2013 on the Hallmark Channel and on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

She was named in 2007 by her publisher as one of the "12 Most Powerful Christians in Hollywood". [2] She became the first woman to solely produce two network television dramas simultaneously. [3]

Touched by an Angel was nominated for nine Emmy Awards and was inducted into the Museum of Television and Radio Hall of Fame. It has been translated into more than sixty languages and continues to be broadcast around the world.

She hosts A Touch of Encouragement on Beliefnet.com. [4]

Her awards include the Freedom Works Award from the U.S. Congress, the Edward R. Murrow Responsibility in Television Award, the Producers Guild Nova Award, the Templeton Prize, as well as honors from the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, the Salvation Army, Catholics in Media.[ citation needed ] She was appointed to the President's White House Council on Service and Civic Participation.

A native of Colorado, Martha lives in Southern California with her husband, Jon Andersen, [5] and their two children. She is a graduate of Williams College.

Television series

Series/Title NameTitleNetworkYears
Young Sheldon Consulting producerCBS2018–2019
Signed, Sealed, Delivered Creator, Executive Producer, WriterHallmark Channel/Hallmark Movies & Mysteries2013–
Touched by an Angel Executive Producer, WriterCBS/CBSP1994–2003
Promised Land Creator, Executive Producer, WriterCBS/Paramount1996–1999
Under One Roof Co-Executive ProducerCBS1994
Jack's Place Supervising Producer, WriterABC/ABCP1992–1993
Secret Adventures: SnapWriterTaweel-Loos1993
McGee and Me! 1991–1992
Fish Police Supervising ProducerCBS1991
The Family Man Supervising Producer, Writer1990–1991
Living Dolls ABC1989–1990
Raising Miranda ProducerCBS/GTG1988–1989
The Facts of Life Story Editor, WriterNBC/Columbia1985–1988

Books

TitlePublisherDate Published
In the Words of Angels Fireside 2000
Inviting God to Your Wedding Harmony
When Angels SpeakFireside1997
True Stories of Touched by an Angel Zondervan
Raging Hormones Doubleday 1990

Soundtracks

Soundtrack TitleTitleLabelYear
Touched by an Angel: The Album Executive ProducerSony Music1998
Touched by an Angel: Christmas Album1999

Awards

AwardDate
President's Council on Service and Civic Participation2003
Steve Allen Award for Entertainment Excellence2001
NAACP Image Award2000
Salvation Army Awards1999
Good Samaritan Institute Award1999
Governor's Award of Excellence1999
Family Program Award1999
Imagen Awards1999
Golden Globes – 2 nominations1999
Gabriel Award1998
Voices of Hope Award from Herbert G. Birch1998
Hollywood Impact Award1998
Induction of Touched by an Angel into Museum of TV and Radio1998
Gabriel Award1998
Epiphany Prize (The Templeton Foundation)1997
Christopher Award1997
Edward R. Murrow Responsibility in Television1997
H.E.L.P Group Spirit of Hope Award1997
Freedom Works Award from United States Congress1997
Emmy Awards (A.T.A.S) – 5 nominations1997
Johnson & Johnson Safe Kids Award1997
Daughters of the American Revolution Award1997
Producers' Guild of America Nova Award1997
Gabriel Award1996
Catholics in Media Associates Award1996
Anti Defamation League's Deborah Award1996
Covenant Awards1996
Excellence in Media Awards1995
Swiss American Faith and Values Award1995

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcia Gay Harden</span> American actress (born 1959)

Marcia Gay Harden is an American actress. Her breakthrough came in the 1990 Coen brothers' film Miller's Crossing. For her portrayal of artist Lee Krasner in the 2000 biographical film Pollock, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She received a second Academy Award nomination for her performance as a troubled wife in the drama film Mystic River (2003). Her other notable film credits include The First Wives Club (1996), Flubber (1997), Space Cowboys (2000), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), and the Fifty Shades film series (2015–2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marti Noxon</span> Screenwriter, television writer, television producer

Martha Mills Noxon is an American television and film writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her work as a screenwriter and executive producer on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). She was also executive producer, writer, and creator of the Bravo comedy-drama series Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce (2014–18) and the Lifetime drama series UnREAL (2015–18), and an executive producer of the CBS medical drama series Code Black (2015–17).

<i>Touched by an Angel</i> American fantasy drama television series (1994–2003)

Touched by an Angel is an American television drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey as an angel named Monica, and Della Reese as her supervisor Tess. Throughout the series, Monica is tasked with bringing guidance and messages from God to various people who are at a crossroads in their lives. From season three onward, they are frequently joined by Andrew, the Angel of Death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Boston</span> American actress

Rachel Elizabeth Boston is an American actress. She has had leading roles in a number of independent films, and was a regular cast member in several television series. She starred in the NBC drama series, American Dreams as Beth Mason from 2002 to 2005, in the short-lived CBS sitcom The Ex List in 2008, and on the USA Network series In Plain Sight from 2008 to 2012. From 2013 to 2014, Boston starred as Ingrid Beauchamp in the Lifetime fantasy-drama series, Witches of East End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Della Reese</span> American singer and actress (1931–2017)

Delloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You Know?". In the late 1960s she hosted her own talk show, Della, which ran for 197 episodes. From 1975 she also starred in films, playing opposite Redd Foxx in Harlem Nights (1989), Martin Lawrence in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996) and Elliott Gould in Expecting Mary (2010). Reese achieved continued success in the religious television drama Touched by an Angel (1994–2003), in which she played the leading role of Tess.

Sherry Lea Stringfield is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Dr. Susan Lewis on the NBC medical drama ER, a role for which she received three Emmy Award nominations. Stringfield was a member of ER's original cast, but she quit the show during its third season, despite being contractually tied to appear in five. She returned to the role in 2001, and quit once again in 2005. She is also known for her regular roles on NYPD Blue and Guiding Light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Travis</span> American actress (born 1961)

Nancy Ann Travis is an American actress. She began her career on Off-Broadway theater, before her first leading screen role in the ABC television miniseries Harem opposite Omar Sharif. Her breakthrough came in 1987, playing Sylvia Bennington in the comedy film Three Men and a Baby. She later starred in its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady (1990).

Jill Farren Phelps is an American television producer. She is known for her work with American soap operas, having served as executive producer of Santa Barbara, Another World, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Gless</span> American actress (born 1943)

Sharon Marguerite Gless is an American actress known for her television roles. She portrayed Maggie Philbin on Switch (1975–78), Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey (1982–88), and played the title role in The Trials of Rosie O'Neill (1990–92). She was Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series Queer as Folk (2000–2005) and Madeline Westen on Burn Notice (2007–2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valerie Bertinelli</span> American actress (born 1960)

Valerie Anne Bertinelli is an American actress and television personality. She first achieved recognition as an adolescent, portraying Barbara Cooper Royer on the sitcom One Day at a Time (1975–1984), for which she won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film. She subsequently earned adult stardom as Gloria on the religious drama series Touched by an Angel (2001–2003), and Melanie Moretti on the sitcom Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015), which brought her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In 2012, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion Ross</span> American actress (born 1928)

Marion Ross is a retired American actress. Her best-known role is that of Marion Cunningham on the ABC television sitcom Happy Days, on which she starred from 1974 to 1984 and for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Before her success on Happy Days, Ross appeared in a variety of film roles, appearing in The Glenn Miller Story (1954), Sabrina (1954), Lust for Life (1956), Teacher's Pet (1958), Some Came Running (1958), Operation Petticoat (1959), and Honky (1971), as well as several minor television roles, one of which was on television's The Lone Ranger (1954). She was also twice nominated successively in 1992 and 1993 for the Primetime Emmy Award for her performance on the CBS television comedy-drama Brooklyn Bridge and later netted another Emmy nomination in 1999 for a two-episode appearance on the popular CBS drama Touched by an Angel. Ross also starred in the high-profile, long-anticipated sequel to Terms of Endearment (1983), The Evening Star (1996), in a turn for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as both a nomination and win for a Lone Star Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallmark Channel</span> American cable television network

Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roma Downey</span> Northern Irish actress, producer and author

Roma Downey is an Irish actress, producer and author. For nine seasons, Downey played Monica the angel in the CBS television series Touched by an Angel. She also played the leading role of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the Emmy award-winning NBC mini-series A Woman Named Jackie. In addition to her television work, Downey has performed on stage with the Abbey Theatre, The National Theatre of Ireland and has appeared both on and off Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathy Baker</span> American actress (born 1950)

Katherine Whitton Baker is an American actress. Baker began her career in theater and made her screen debut in the 1983 drama film The Right Stuff. She received the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her performance in Street Smart (1987). Baker also has appeared in over 50 films, including Jacknife (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Cider House Rules (1999), Cold Mountain (2003), Nine Lives (2005), The Jane Austen Book Club (2007), Last Chance Harvey (2008), Take Shelter (2011), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), and The Age of Adaline (2015).

Gerald William Abrams is an American television producer who has produced many TV movies starting in the mid-1970s.

The Good Wife is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law after the events of a public sex and political corruption scandal involving her husband. The series was created by Robert and Michelle King and stars Julianna Margulies, Josh Charles, Christine Baranski, Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi, Zach Grenier, Matthew Goode, Cush Jumbo, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Alan Cumming, and features Chris Noth in a recurring role. The executive producers included the Kings, Ridley and Tony Scott, Charles McDougall, and David W. Zucker. The Good Wife is a serialized show featuring several story arcs that play out over multiple episodes, as well as stand-alone storylines that are concluded by the end of each episode. The serial plots—a rarity on CBS, a network where most of the programming at that time was procedural—were especially showcased in its highly praised fifth season.

The second season of the American dramatic television series Touched by an Angel ran on CBS from September 23, 1995 to May 18, 1996, spanning 24 episodes. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series chronicled the cases of two angels, Monica and her supervisor Tess, who bring messages from God to various people to help them as they reach a crossroads in their lives. A third angel, Andrew is introduced as the "Angel of Death".

The third season of the American dramatic television series Touched by an Angel aired CBS from September 15, 1996 through May 18, 1997, spanning 29 episodes. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series chronicled the cases of two angels, Monica and her supervisor Tess, who bring messages from God to various people to help them as they reach a crossroads in their lives. They are frequently joined by Andrew, the angel of death. A season set containing all of the episodes of the season was released to Region 1 DVD on August 31, 2004.

<i>Signed, Sealed, Delivered</i> (TV series) American-Canadian drama/romantic comedy television series

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, also known as Lost Letter Mysteries, is a drama/romantic comedy television series that aired on the Hallmark Channel in 2014 from April 20 through June 22. Created by Touched by an Angel's Martha Williamson, Signed, Sealed, Delivered focuses on four dedicated United States Postal Service employees who work in the Dead Letter Office. They take it upon themselves to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail. Similarly to her previous program, the show promotes Williamson's Christian beliefs as the characters struggle with their faith, or lack of it, as one character is agnostic, while relying on divine intervention to accomplish their task. It is set in Denver, Colorado but filmed mostly in the Vancouver area. On October 12, 2013, a two-hour pilot movie aired on Hallmark and was a ratings success. It was the number-one television movie on its airdate and the number-two movie for that week. The movie was watched by 1.72 million viewers. Following one season of the TV series, Hallmark announced Signed, Sealed, Delivered would transition to a series of television films on its Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanne Brough</span> American television producer and executive

Joanne Brough was an American television producer and executive. She began her career in 1960 at KTLA, a Los Angeles television station, and went on to work for CBS Television from 1963 to 1978, rising through the ranks to become one of the first female network development executives. She oversaw and developed such hit shows as All in the Family, Kojak, Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*H, Knots Landing, Eight Is Enough, The Waltons, Dallas, Falcon Crest, and others. From 1978 to 1986, she joined Lorimar Productions, becoming Vice President of Creative Affairs, supervising all television programs. During her tenure there, she became Executive Producer of Falcon Crest, as well as several movies for television. In 1990, she went to work for Lee Rich Productions in association with Warner Brothers, as a development executive, producing TV films and specials for three years. From 1993 to 1998, she took on the task of producing television in Singapore and Indonesia. Her later years were spent as an educator while she continued to develop new projects.

References

  1. "Martha Williamson | Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  2. "The 12 Most Powerful Christians in Hollywood".
  3. "Martha Williamson - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  4. Roberts, Ju-Don; Encouragement, A. Touch of (27 July 2010). "New Videos Are Available on atouchofencouragement.com". A Touch of Encouragement. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  5. http://www.hourofpower.org/interviews/detail.php?contentid=5691.

Sources

As of this edit, this article uses content from "MARTHA WILLIAMSON" , which is licensed in a way that permits reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, but not under the GFDL. All relevant terms must be followed.