The producer behind 'All in the Family', 'Soap' and 'Hill Street Blues' had been known as the only executive to creatively run the CBS, ABC and NBC networks.
- January 31, 2020
AceShowbiz - Fred Silverman, the man behind hit U.S. TV shows "All in the Family", "Soap" and "Hill Street Blues", has died, aged 82.
The producer, who was the only executive to creatively run the CBS, ABC and NBC networks, passed away on Thursday, January 30.
Born in 1937, Silverman started his career at WGN-TV in Chicago, Illinois after studying at Ohio State University.
He became the head of CBS daytime programming at the age of 25, according to Deadline. There, he oversaw shows like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "M*A*S*H", and "The Waltons", and helped develop children's show "Scooby Doo... Where Are You?".
He took over as president of ABC Entertainment, where he greenlighted hit shows like "Happy Days" spin-off "Laverne & Shirley", "The Love Boat", "Three's Company", "The Bionic Woman" and "Good Morning America".
Silverman is also credited as the man behind mini-series "Roots" and long-running game show "The Price Is Right".
In 1978, he joined NBC as president, and oversaw "Hill Street Blues" and the mini-series "Shogun", while offering comedian David Letterman his first shot as a talk show host. He was also the brains behind "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes".
Following his success as an executive, Fred moved to Los Angeles to begin his own production company, developing the revival of "Perry Mason", "Matlock", "Diagnosis: Murder", "Jake and the Fatman", and "In the Heat of the Night".
He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame in 1999.
