Ron Leavitt (November 7, 1947 – February 10, 2008[2]) was a television writer and producer, who was best known for being one the co-creators of the FOX sitcom, Married with Children.
Life and career[]
A native of Brooklyn, he attended University of Miami, graduating with a degree in journalism. He worked as a reporter in the Miami area before starting his television career as a writer on the 1977 sitcom Busting Loose.[3]
Ron would continue working on shows such as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and The Bad News Bears (for which he garnered an NAACP Award). In the early 1980s, in addition to writing and producing The Jeffersons (for which he won a People’s Choice Award and a second NAACP Award), Leavitt co-wrote the pilot for Silver Spoons and co-created and executive produced the Jason Bateman sitcom It's Your Move.
Married... with Children[]
In the late 1980s, along with Michael G. Moye, Leavitt co-created Married with Children, which, with its debut on the Fox network in 1987, broke many of the established rules and mores of television. He served as executive producer and wrote or co-wrote close to 150 episodes. Its longevity over eleven seasons made Married... with Children the second-longest-running sitcom on Fox, just behind The Simpsons. Among its industry honors, Married... with Children earned seven Emmy nominations and an equal number of Golden Globe nominations, including Best TV Series.
The show became a springboard for Leavitt to create a number of spin-offs, initially Top of the Heap, starring Matt LeBlanc and Joseph Bologna, and Vinnie & Bobby, starring Matt LeBlanc and Robert Torti.
Besides writing and producing for the show, he also had several small acting between seasons 5 and 7:
- Third baseman for the Cremators - "The Unnatural"
- Man in elevator (with Michael G. Moye) - "One Down, Two to Go"
- Jack Dallas - "Al Bundy, Shoe Dick"
- Amos n' Andrew (poster, with Michael G. Moye) - "Kelly Does Hollywood (Part 2)", "No Pot to Pease In"
- The Homeless Detective (poster, with Traci Lords) - "Kelly Does Hollywood (Part 2)"
- Nearby Dog (voice) - "England Show (Part 1)"
- Man in flannel shirt showing the reporter the Big'Uns centerfold - "The Chicago Wine Party"
Post MWC[]
After leaving MWC at the end of Season 7, he would subsequently co-create, executive produce and write Unhappily Ever After, which earned a loyal following for more than five seasons on the WB (now the CW) television network. The show was often compared to MWC, having similar themes, the main character having many similarities to Al Bundy and sharing several former writers, directors and actors.
Leavitt's final project was the 2004 sitcom, The Help, which featured MWC actor David Faustino in a recurring role. The show was not well received by viewers and was cancelled after just seven episodes.
Personal Life[]
Other achievements outside the realm of television include recognition by the State of California as Citizen Hero of the Year in 2001, and the equally notable accomplishment of out-eating wrestler King Kong Bundy in a cheesesteak sandwich-eating contest at Dominick's Kitchen while Bundy was guest starring on Married... with Children.
He had two children, Matt and Samantha with his ex-wife, filmmaker and songwriter, Sharyn Leavitt (née Lane), who passed away in 2005 from pancreatic cancer.[1] Matt, Samantha and Sharyn had appeared on a few episodes of MWC during seasons 5-7 in small roles. Sharyn also had a recurring role as a postal worker in Vinnie & Bobby.
In 1991, he invited Playboy model, Jessica Hahn to the show. Despite not being an actress and still dealing with the fallout from the PTL scandal (in which she accused the founder, Jim Bakker of raping her), she landed the role of Ricki the shoe groupie in the season 6 episode, "So This is How Sinatra Felt". After filming, he invited her out for coffee which eventually led to a long term relationship, with plans to get married at some point.[4]
Death[]
Leavitt died at his home in Sherman Oaks, California on February 10, 2008 from lung cancer. He was 60 years old. He is buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California next to his ex-wife, Sharyn.
The day after Leavitt's death, Jessica Hahn called The Howard Stern Show to announce his death. She told Stern that she had been dating Leavitt for nearly 16 years, and that he had been taking care of financially. She also revealed that he likely got lung cancer from being a smoker, as he had also suffered from a collapsed lung a few years earlier. Stern then offered his condolences to her.[5] In a later interview with Stern, she revealed that Ron's children were trying to force her to move out of the house that he had bought her a few years earlier and even went so far as to prevent her from attending his funeral (implying that his ex-wife, Sharyn made arrangements for this, despite passing away earlier in 2005). Hahn then mentioned that she went into a deep depression for a few years before getting sober and began dating actor and stunt coordinator, Frank Lloyd, who previously worked on MWC and several other shows created by Leavitt.[6]
Upon hearing of his death, Ed O'Neill, who played Al Bundy, told the Los Angeles Times that Leavitt was “one of the funniest guys I ever knew. He had a very original way of thinking in terms of comedy. He was a brilliant comedic writer.”[3]
The Biography Channel's 2010 documentary about Married.. with Children was dedicated to him.
He is survived by his long-time partner Jessica Hahn, as well as his children, Matt and Samantha.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Samantha Leavitt, Jason Goldstein. New York Times (June 10, 2012). Retrieved on September 23, 2024.
- ↑ 'Married ... With Children' Co-Creator Dies. Zap2It.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Co-creator of ‘Married . . . With Children’. Los Angeles Times (February 12, 2008). Retrieved on September 23, 2024.
- ↑ CNN Larry King Live - Interview with Jessica Hahn - Aired July 14, 2005 - 21:00 ET
- ↑ Jessica Hahn Mourns Her Boyfriend
- ↑ JESSICA HAHN IS TRIM AND SOBER. howardstern.com.
External links[]
- Ron Leavitt at the Internet Movie Database
- Ron Leavitt at Find A Grave