Bud Yorkin

Bud Yorkin (born February 22, 1926 – August 18, 2015) served as co-executive producer of All In The Family, and its spin-offs Maude and The Jeffersons and numerous other popular TV shows in the 1970's. Bud has worn multiple hats in Hollywood over the years as a noted film and television producer, director, writer and actor.

Background
Yorkin was born Alan David Yorkin in Washington, Pennsylvania. He earned a degree in engineering from Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.

Career
In 1954, Yorkin became the producer of NBC's The Tony Martin Show, a 15 minute variety program which preceded the nightly news on Monday evenings. In 1956, he became the producer and director of Tennessee Ernie Ford's NBC half-hour comedy/variety program, The Ford Show.

In 1958, Yorkin joined writer/producer Norman Lear to form Tandem Productions, which produced several motion pictures and television specials in the 1960s to 1971 with such major studios like United Artists and Warner Bros.

Yorkin directed and produced the 1958 TV special An Evening With Fred Astaire, which won nine Emmy Awards. He later produced many of the hit sitcoms of the '70s, such as All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, and Sanford and Son.

After his split with Lear, Yorkin went on to form Bud Yorkin Productions. His first sitcom after the split was the unsuccessful Sanford and Son spin-off sitcom series Grady. In 1976, he formed TOY Productions with Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein (who produced Sanford and Son from 1974–1977), but their two hits were What's Happening!! and Carter Country. TOY Productions was acquired by Columbia Pictures Television in 1979.

In 1999, he and Lear were awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of excellence and innovation in creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.

Yorkin's film directing credits include The Thief Who Came to Dinner, Divorce American Style and Inspector Clouseau of the Pink Panther series.

Blade Runner
Against the wishes of its director, Ridley Scott, and its star, Harrison Ford, Yorkin insisted that the ending of the film Blade Runner, which he co-produced, be altered and that Ford return after the completion of filming to record a voice-over track in post production. The "happy ending" which resulted incorporated footage from the Stanley Kubrick film The Shining. Scott later released the film on video without the voice-over or altered ending.

Personal life
Yorkin died of natural causes on August 18, 2015 at the age of 89. Yorkin was the father of television writer and producer Nicole Yorkin. He was married to actress Cynthia Sikes until his death.