Steven Levitan
American television director, television producer, and screenwriter
Krista Levitan
(m. 1992; div. 2018)Kristina McElligott
(m. 2022)Steven E. Levitan (born April 6, 1962) is an American television producer, director, and screenwriter. He has created many television series such as Just Shoot Me!, Stark Raving Mad, Stacked, Back to You, Modern Family, and Reboot.
Early life and education
Levitan was raised Jewish in Chicago, Illinois.[1][2] He attended Glenbrook South High School and University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1980 to 1984, graduating with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
Career
Levitan worked as a WKOW-TV on-air news reporter and morning anchorman in Madison, Wisconsin,[3] and as a copywriter at Leo Burnett Advertising in Chicago. He moved to Hollywood in 1989.
As executive producer, Levitan won an Emmy Award in 1996 for Frasier in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. He was also nominated in that same year for Outstanding Writing in Comedy Series category for The Larry Sanders Show. He was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series category for Just Shoot Me! and two more as executive producer. Levitan won the Humanitas Prize (for writers whose work best communicates and encourages human values) in 1996 for the Frasier episode titled "Breaking the Ice". Levitan has also won a CableACE Award and a Writers Guild nomination for The Larry Sanders Show. He also garnered a Producers Guild Award and a Television Critics Association Award for Frasier, a People's Choice Award for Stark Raving Mad and a Golden Globe nomination for Just Shoot Me!
His company, Steven Levitan Productions, has produced the series Just Shoot Me!, Stark Raving Mad, Greg the Bunny, Oliver Beene and Stacked.
Levitan and television writer/producer Christopher Lloyd joined as partners in 2006 and together created a production company named "Picture Day". It is under this company that they produced their co-creations Back to You and Modern Family. In 2010, Modern Family won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, as well as two other Emmy Awards: Outstanding Supporting Actor in Comedy Series for Eric Stonestreet, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd.[4] He has also earned Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series nominations for Modern Family episodes "See You Next Fall" (2011) and "Baby on Board" (2012), winning the latter.[5]
On June 19, 2018, Levitan, along with Seth MacFarlane and Judd Apatow, announced he was considering leaving 20th Century Fox as protest of Fox News's reporting of Donald Trump's family separation policy which is at odds with Modern Family's programming.[6]
Personal life
Levitan was married to his wife Krista from 1992 to 2018.[1] They have three children, two daughters Hannah and Allie, and a son, Griffin.
In July 2021, Levitan became engaged to Kristina Maria McElligott.[7] They married on September 17, 2022. The wedding was a reunion for many members of the Modern Family cast.[8]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Creator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–1991 | Max Glick | No | No | Yes | No |
| 1991–1995 | Wings | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1994–1996 | Frasier | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1994 | The Critic | No | Yes | No | No |
| 1995 | The Larry Sanders Show | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1997 | Men Behaving Badly | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1997–2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1999–2000 | Stark Raving Mad | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2000 | Yes, Dear | Yes | No | No | No |
| 2002–2004 | Greg the Bunny | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2003–2004 | Oliver Beene | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2005–2006 | Stacked | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2007–2008 | Back to You | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2009–2020 | Modern Family | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2018 | LA to Vegas | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| 2022 | Reboot | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Writer
- "Pilot"
- "The Incident"
- "Fifteen Percent"
- "Fears"
- "Unplugged"
- "Caught in the Act"
- "Boys' Night"
- "Send Out the Clowns"
- "Schooled"
- "Goodnight Gracie"
- "Three Dinners"
- "Message Received"
- "Clean Out Your Junk Drawer"
- "A Year of Birthdays"
- "Baby Steps" (teleplay)
- "Finale (Part One)"
Director
- "Hawaii"
- "Baby on Board"
- "See You Next Fall"
- "Treehouse"
- "Send Out the Clowns"
- "Baby on Board"
- "Bringing Up Baby"
- "When a Tree Falls"
- "Best Men"
- "The Wow Factor"
- "Goodnight Gracie"
- "First Days"
- "Three Dinners"
- "Australia"
- "The Wedding (Part One)"
- "Fight or Flight"
- "Connection Lost"
- "American Skyper"
- "Clean Out Your Junk Drawer"
- "The Party"
- "Thanksgiving Jamboree"
- "The Graduates"
- "In Your Head"
- "The Escape"
- "Kiss and Tell"
- "A Year of Birthdays"
- "Finale (Part One)"
References
- ^ a b Levitan, Steven (December 12, 2004). "Hollywood's 'elite': We're not villains". USA Today. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
I was raised Jewish, my wife was raised Catholic.
- ^ Berrin, Danielle (September 23, 2012). "Politics, gender and Jewishness loom large at Emmys". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ Weintraub, Joanne (August 20, 2002). "Wisconsinites walkin' tall this fall with major TV gigs". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ MacIntyre, April (August 30, 2010). "Emmy Awards 2010 Winners List, Surprises and Omissions". Monsters and Critics. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
- ^ "Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series Nominees / Winners 2012". Television Academy. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ Bradley, Laura (June 19, 2018). "Fox Creators Revolt as Fox News Condones Trump's Immigration Policy". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ stevelevitan (July 16, 2021). "Steve Levitan on Instagram: "My new fiancé"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ Richardson, Randi (September 20, 2022). "'Modern Family' cast members reunite at a wedding (again)". Today.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
External links
- Steven Levitan at IMDb
- Steven Levitan at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
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