Gary Dontzig, Emmy-Winning Writer and Producer on ‘Murphy Brown,’ Dies at 79

Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Gary Dontzig, the onetime actor who won three Emmy Awards for his work as a writer and producer on the admired CBS sitcom Murphy Brown , has died. He was 79. Dontzig died Feb. 23 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of a rare and aggressive auto-immune syndrome, Steven Peterman, his writing partner of some 35 years, announced. Dontzig and Peterman wrote 25 episodes and were involved in producing 150 installments during the first six seasons of the Candice Bergen-starring Murphy Brown . Related Stories Movies Maria O'Brien, 'Protocol' and 'Matlock' Actress, Dies at 75 TV Annabel Schofield, 'Dallas' Actress and '80s Fashion Icon, Dies at 62 After being elevated to executive producers by creator Diane English, they wrote (with Korby Siamis) the landmark two-part episode “You Say Potatoe, I Say Potato” that opened the series’ fifth season in 1992 and served as a response to Vice President Dan Quayle’s attack on Murphy’s decision to have a baby as a single woman. The controversy put the show on the front page of The New York Times as a record 70 million viewers tuned in. At the Emmys, Dontzig, Peterman and others were nominated for the coveted outstanding comedy series prize from 1990-93 (winning in ’90 and ’92) and for comedy writing trophies in 1991 and 1992 (winning in ’91). Born in New York City on March 18, 1946, Dontzig appeared on episodes of such shows as The Waltons , Chico and the Man , One Day at a Time , Too Close for Comfort and Laverne & Shirley and played Patrick in a national tour of Mame alongside Angela Lansbury , who would become a lifelong friend. He first met Peterman in a production at the Old Globe theater in San Diego, and they would become members of the original writing staff of Murphy Brown . (The pair would r...