Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Hall of Fame Inductees
The Television Academy of Arts & Sciences has named five new inductees to its Hall of Fame. Included are: producer/executive Leonard Goldberg, actor William Shatner, director James Burrows, host Regis Philbin, and newsman Tom Brokaw. Academy Chairman Dick Askin stated that this year's inductees have helped shape the television industry and serve as an inspiration for others.
The Archive’s interviews with William Shatner and James Burrows are currently online and available for viewing on Google Video. The Archive’s interview with Leonard Goldberg can be viewed in the Archive’s Los Angeles offices and will be available online in the near future.
William Shatner was interviewed for two-and-a-half hours in Studio City, CA. Mr. Shatner described his early years in Canadian theater, and his debut on American television. He discussed appearances on anthology shows including Playhouse 90, Studio One, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Omnibus, and others. Shatner spoke in great detail about his starring role as Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series and subsequent feature films. He also talked about his work as the star of T.J. Hooker and later host of Rescue 911. The interview was conducted by Ramin Fathie on September 15, 1999.
Click here to access all William Shatner interview segments.
Leonard Goldberg was interviewed for nearly six-hour hours (in two sessions) in Beverly Hills, CA. Goldberg talked about breaking into the business in the research departments at ABC and NBC in the 1950s. He talked about his return to ABC in the 1960s, where he worked in TV development and was later promoted to Vice President of Network Programming. He detailed his work at Screen Gems where he developed the celebrated television movie Brian’s Song, among others. He discussed the formation, with his partner Aaron Spelling, of Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and elaborated on the many projects that came from the company. He talked about the television movies The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and Something About Amelia. He described the creation and the casting of the popular detective show Charlie’s Angels, and producing the 2000 feature film version. He also spoke in detail about the series Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart, and T.J. Hooker. He discussed his accomplishments as President and COO of 20th Century Fox, where he facilitated such projects as the long-running animated series The Simpsons and the feature films Broadcast News and Working Girl. Lastly he discussed his position as head of Mandy Films. The two-part interview was conducted by Dan Pasternack on October 21 and December 7, 2004.
See May 15, 2006’s blog entry for details about the Archive’s interview with James Burrows: Archive of American Television: "Will & Grace" ends its eight season run
About the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame
Founded by former Television Academy president John H. Mitchell, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to television: on camera legends and pioneering talent that include directors, producers, costume designers, writers, animators, executives, reporters and explorers.
Since the first ceremony in 1984, more than 100 of television’s notables have been inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. Past honorees include Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson, David Sarnoff, Walter Cronkite, Milton Berle, Walt Disney, Bob Hope, Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara Walters, Angela Lansbury, Oprah Winfrey and Carl Reiner.