Cy Chermak | |
|---|---|
| Born | Seymour Chermak September 20, 1929 Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | January 29, 2021 (aged 91) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1940s–2021 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Seymour "Cy" Chermak (September 20, 1929 – January 29, 2021) was an American producer and screenwriter. He is best known for producing CHiPs, Ironside, and Kolchak: The Night Stalker.
Chermak started his career at the age of 17.[1]
From 1950 - 1954, Chermak was head writer for the new DuMont Television Network crime drama television series Rocky King Detective.[2] He wrote the screenplay for the 1959 film 4D Man with Theodore Simonson.[3]
In 1967, he became an executive producer for the new NBC crime drama television series Ironside.[4][5]
In 1971, Chermak was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his work on Ironside.[6] He would go on to write and produce several television programs, including Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Barbary Court, Murder at the World Series, [7] and spinoff television series Amy Prentiss.[8] In 1978, he became a producer for the new NBC series CHiPs. He would go on to produce 125 episodes of the show.[9]
In 1998, Chermak was a screenwriter for the television film Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Families. He wrote the script with his wife, Francine Carroll, for which they were nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award.[10]
In 2016, Chermak wrote the book The Show Runner: An Insider's Guide to Successful Television Production.[11]
Chermak died on January 29, 2021, at the age of 91, at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii, of natural causes.[12]