Ron Leavitt American producer, screenwriter, actor Date of Birth: 07.11.1947 Country: USA

1. Television Career
2. Success with "The Jeffersons"
3. "Married... with Children"
4. Accolades and Spin-offs
5. Later Career
6. Personal Life and Legacy

Television Career

Ron Leavitt, born November 7, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York, embarked on his television career in the 1970s by penning episodes for sitcoms such as "Busting Loose," "Happy Days," "Laverne & Shirley," and "The Bad News Bears." His script for the latter earned him a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Award.

Success with "The Jeffersons"

Throughout the early 1980s, Leavitt served as writer and producer on "The Jeffersons," for which he garnered both another NAACP Image Award and a People's Choice Award. The Brooklyn native also contributed to the development of the sitcom "Silver Spoons" and later co-created and co-executive produced the Jason Bateman-led "It's Your Move."

"Married... with Children"

In the late 1980s, Leavitt partnered with Michael J. Moye to bring their vision to life: "Married... with Children," which debuted on Fox in 1987. The sitcom broke away from traditional sitcom tropes and became an innovative endeavor. Leavitt served as the show's executive producer and wrote or co-wrote 150 episodes. Its longevity, spanning eleven seasons from 1987 to 1997, made it Fox's second-longest-running comedy series behind "The Simpsons."

Accolades and Spin-offs

"Married... with Children" received numerous accolades, including seven Emmy nominations and seven Golden Globe nominations, including for "Best Television Series." The show's popularity propelled Leavitt to create several spin-offs, beginning with "Top of the Heap" featuring Matt LeBlanc and Joseph Bologna. "Vinnie & Bobby" (1992) and "Unhappily Ever After" (1995-1999), both also starring LeBlanc, further expanded the "Married... with Children" universe.

Later Career

In his later years, Leavitt worked on the writing staff for WB's "The Help."

Personal Life and Legacy

Beyond his accomplishments in television, Leavitt was recognized by the state of California as "Citizen of the Year" in 2001. A notable anecdote from the "Married... with Children" set involved Leavitt out-eating wrestling legend King Kong Bundy in a cheesesteak-eating contest. Married twice, to actress and producer Sharon Leavitt and actress Jessica Hahn, he fathered two children, Matt and Samantha. Ron Leavitt passed away on February 10, 2008, in Sherman Oaks, California, after a battle with lung cancer.