Henry Colman Dies: ‘Love Boat’ Producer Passes Away At 89


Television producer Henry Colman, best remembered for his hit ABC sitcom The Love Boat, died last week from natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. He was 89.

An announcement Sunday by the Archive of American Television says Colman passed away Wednesday, November 7.

Born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Colman served in two years in World War II as a B-29 navigator before graduating from Columbia University with a degree in theater arts. After getting his bachelor’s degree, Henry spent a few summers as an actor with the Virginia Barter Theater Company.

Colman kicked off his entertainment career in the early days of US commercial television, starting as a production coordinator on the local musical show, Easy Does It.

He eventually became an assistant to the director on “Kraft Television Theatre” in 1951 and later worked on such series as Robert Montgomery Presents and Colgate Comedy Hour.

In addition to The Love Boat, Colman also worked on comedies such as The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Lucy and also produced the 1980s series Hotel.

In his later life, Colman completed more than 33 interviews on numerous producers and directors — including Aaron Spelling and Ernest Borgnine — for the Archive of American Television’s oral history collection.

“I’d like to be remembered as being generous and kind and with enough talent that I got the job done, and did it well,” he told the Archive.

He is survived by his wife, Donna Brainard; two children, Cathy and Richard; and a sister, Hedy Roche, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Watch Henry Colman’s 2001 interview with the Archive of American Television in the video below:

via Seattle Pi

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