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Birth name: Gary David Goldberg
Born: June 25, 1944,
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
Education:
Brandeis University
San Diego State University
That name does look familiar, where might i have seen Gary David Goldberg?
Gary David Goldberg is a TV and film writer, producer, director and the
creator of Spin City. So you properly haven’t seen him on television other
than in the credits. He is the founder of UBU Productions, which produced
nine television series, including “Family Ties”, “Spin City”, “Brooklyn
Bridge many other innovative and successful television series, as well as
the feature films,"Dad" and "Bye Bye Love.".” He is the author of “Sit, Ubu,
Sit: How I Went From Brooklyn to Hollywood With the Same Woman, the Same Dog
and a Lot Less Hair.”
Early life:
Gary David Goldberg was born in 1944 at a Jewish hospital. He grew up in a
noisy apartment building full of extended family which was ruled by his
grandmother Jenny. After a prolonged and checkered collegiate career, which
began at Brandeis University in 1962 . His college career ended at San Diego
State University in 1975
During this period he also spent some time abroad in Israel and europe,
during which he tried on some acting, starring as the lead charachter in the
adventures of scooterman, an english-teaching series produced by Israeli
Educational Television.in 1975 he moved to Hollywood to try to make it as a
writer.
Goldberg entered the industry as a writer on "The Bob Newhart Show" in 1976,
wrote and later became a producer of "The Tony Randall Show"; he wrote and
produced the CBS dramatic series, "Lou Grant".
Career:
In 1981, Goldberg left MTM to form his own company, UBU Productions, famous
for their closing of "Sit, Ubu, sit - good dog." Ubu Roi was Goldberg's dog
in college. With years of success as a TV writer and producer under his
belt, Gary David Goldberg first tried his hand at directing in 1982 with the
short-lived sitcom Making the Grade.
Returning to writing for several more years, he won his second Emmy in 1987
for the sitcom Family Ties (his first was in 1979 for Lou Grant); and won
two Humanitas Prizes in 1984 and 1987, also for Family Ties.
His feature film directorial debut was Dad (1989), which he also wrote and
produced. With an all-star cast that included Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Ted
Danson and Kathy Baker, the film received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations
and won a Wise Owl Award. He also wrote the screenplay, which was adapted
from the novel of the same name by William Wharton
His second feature film, Bye Bye Love, starred Paul Reiser, Matthew Modine,
and Randy Quaid, as three divorced fathers on a weekend when they all have
custody of their children.
Unable to keep away from television for long, Goldberg executive produced
series such as American Dreamer and Brooklyn Bridge (for which he received a
1992 Television Producer of the Year award), then went on to create the hit
sitcom Spin City starring Michael J. Fox of Family Ties. In 1998 he won a
Writers Guild of America award, an Outstanding Television Writer Award in
2001 from the Austin Film Festival and a 2002 Award of Excellence from the
Banff Television Festival.
Returning to the big screen, Goldberg wrote, produced and directed Must Love
Dogs (2005), a romantic comedy starring Diane Lane, John Cusack and Dermot
Mulroney, adapting the Claire Cook novel of the same name.
Personal life:
Gary Goldberg is married to Dr. Diana Meehan. They have two children, Shana
and Cailin. Shana wrote and produced many episodes of the popular sitcom
Friends.
In 2008, Goldberg published an autobiography entitled "Sit, Ubu, Sit : How I
Went from Brooklyn to Hollywood with the Same Woman, the Same Dog, and a Lot
Less Hair."
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