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Over the course of his long career, Alan "Bud" Yorkin won six
Emmy Awards, a Peabody, a Sylvania and a Director’s Guild Award.
"Yorkin directed and co-produced many of the most innovative hit
sitcoms of the 1970s, shows that broke new ground by
interjecting topical, real-world elements of class, race,
politics and social change as well as previously unseen settings
into comic situations," his spokesman said in a statement.
Yorkin was best known for developing the groundbreaking sitcom
"All in the Family," which introduced Americans to the openly
bigoted, blue-collar worker, Archie Bunker, and the use of
television comedy as a medium for social commentary.
Yorkin was born in Pennsylvania in 1926. He served in the U.S.
Navy during World War II and earned a degree in electrical
engineering from Carnegie Mellon.
He discovered his talent for writing and directing comedy while
in the military, and went to work for NBC in the 1950s,
directing hit shows of the era including the "Dinah Shore Show."
In 1957, he wrote, directed, and produced “An Evening With Fred
Astaire,” which earned 9 Emmys for Best Writing, Best Direction
and Best Musical Special.
He moved into production, and in the early 1970s he and partner
Norman Lear developed "All in the Family," based off the British
BBC series "Till Death Us Do Part."
"All in the Family," considered one of the most successful and
influential television series in U.S. history, used comedy as a
sound-board for major social themes, including racism and
sexism.
Yorkin went on to produce other hit shows, including "The
Jeffersons" and the popular "What’s Happening,” a teen comedy.
Yorkin is survived by wife Cynthia, sons David and Michael,
daughters Nicole and Jessica, and 4 grandchildren.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
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