Overview
- Obituaries published March 5 confirm Dontzig died on February 23 in Los Angeles at age 79.
- On Murphy Brown, he co-wrote 25 episodes, produced about 150 installments, and won three Emmys including two for outstanding comedy series.
- He and Peterman developed NBC’s Suddenly Susan, worked on State of Grace and Becker, and rewrote the pilot script that became Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, which they co-executive produced with creator Michael Poryes.
- Born in New York City, he began as an actor with guest roles on series such as The Waltons and Laverne & Shirley and later taught at American University’s drama school.
- He is survived by his sister Lois and niece Claudine, with a celebration of life being planned and donations requested to the New Mexico Wildlife Center, the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, or PETA.