Donald Ross (writer)
American television screenwriter (1942-2018)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Donald Ross (June 18, 1942 – June 1, 2018) was an American television screenwriter and producer, known for writing television shows such as The Love Boat; Murder, She Wrote and Hart to Hart. Ross was married to actress Patti Deutsch.[1]
- Writer
- producer
Donald Ross | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 18, 1942 |
| Died | June 1, 2018 (aged 75) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Career
In a career spanning over 30 years, Ross wrote primarily for television including variety shows, comedies and dramas: This Is Tom Jones, Dinah!, Diff'rent Strokes, The Love Boat, Matlock and Murder, She Wrote, for which he wrote the final episode.[2] A lifelong fan of jazz music, Ross produced and wrote material for the Timex All-Star Swing Festival (1972), which won the Peabody and Christopher Award.[3]
Personal life
Ross graduated from Boston University.[3] He met his wife Patti Deutsch during her early improv years. They married in 1968 and had three children together.[3] Both Ross and Deutsch appeared as guests on game shows throughout the 1970s such as Match Game and Tattletales.[3][4] Ross died on June 1, 2018, from cancer.[3] He bequeathed his entire jazz collection to the ARChive of Contemporary Music.[citation needed]
Selected filmography
Television
- Harper Valley PTA (1982) – writer
- This Is Tom Jones (1970–1971) – writer
- Diff'rent Strokes (1980–1982) – writer
- Hart to Hart (1979–1983) – writer-story editor
- The Love Boat (1981–1985) – writer
- Hardcastle and McCormick (1986) – writer
- Matlock (1986) – writer
- Charles in Charge (1988) – writer
- Hart to Hart: Two Harts in 3/4 Time – teleplay writer
- Murder, She Wrote (1987–1996) – writer-story editor
Film
- Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986) – producer