Leonard Katzman

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Birthday: Sep 2, 1927

Birthplace: New York, New York, USA

The nephew of legendary Hollywood B-movie producer Sam Katzman, Leonard Katzman made his own mark on television, producing some of the most popular and critically-acclaimed dramas of the 1970s. Katzman showed early promise as a baseball player, but decided to try his luck in Hollywood instead of the major leagues. After working for his uncle on quickie drive-in features like "The Giant Claw" and "Calypso Heat Wave," Katzmann moved into television with stints as assistant director on popular series like the gritty crime drama "Naked City" and the road-trip classic "Route 66." In 1965, Katzman became an associate producer on the fanciful science fiction-tinged western "The Wild Wild West," gaining his first credit as a television screenwriter on that series as well. After producing the phenomenally popular "Hawaii Five-O" for its 1969-'70 season, he moved on to helm the long-running western "Gunsmoke" for its final five seasons, from 1970 to 1975. But Katzman would wield the full breadth of his talents in 1978, when he began work on the first successful modern prime-time soap opera, "Dallas." Katzman not only produced the show, he wrote and/or directed dozens of episodes during its 13-year run.