Hollywood Icon Sherwood Schwartz Dead At Age 94

by RadarOnline.com Staff

Legendary Hollywood producer Sherwood Schwartz – the man behind such TV classics as The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island – has died at the age of 94, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Schwartz died peacefully of natural causes in his sleep in Los Angeles; he was surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Mildred Schwartz, and four children.

As a young man, Schwartz -- a native of New Jersey – relocated to Southern California and began writing jokes for Bob Hope’s radio program, for which Schwartz's brother, Al Schwartz, worked.

After writing for several other radio programs, he moved to TV, and in 1961, he won an Emmy Award  as a writer for comedian Red Skelton. Despite his early success, his greatest fame came when he created Gilligan’s Island in 1964; ironically, the show lasted only a few short years, but to this day, it lives on in reruns worldwide.

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In 1969, he created the now iconic TV series The Brady Bunch. Just like Gilligan’s Island, the show would be roundly panned by critics, but it struck a chord with audiences who loved the innocent nature of the comedy. The Brady Bunch ran until 1974, and established him as a true Hollywood heavy hitter.

During his career, Schwartz also served as script supervisor for My Favorite Martian in 1963. He also produced and wrote for the TV shows Harper Valley PTA and Together We Stand.

On March 7, 2008, Schwartz, at the time still in relatively good health, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of fame.

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