Carmen Finestra

Pennsylvania native Carmen Finestra's career is defined by his contributions to two of the most watched and successful family sitcoms of all time: "The Cosby Show," centered around an African American family residing in Brooklyn, and "Home Improvement," focused on the family life of a power tool loving TV host. Joining "The Cosby Show" as a writer in 1985, he rose through the ranks to producer. By the time he left the show in 1990, a few years before it went off the air, he had three Emmy nominations to show for his efforts as well as the odd guest star appearance, no doubt a throwback to his early days as a New York stage actor. The following year, 1991, together with new partners Matt Williams and David McFadzean, Finestra launched another massively popular entry,"Home Improvement." These were the glory days of the American sitcom, and thanks to material perfectly fitted around comic performers Bill Cosby and Tim Allen, Finestra was able to collect much higher financial rewards as show co-creator, as well as additional Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. In total, Finestra wrote 58 episodes of "The Cosby Show" and 38 episodes of "Home Improvement." He has also worked as an executive producer on several feature films, including the 2000 Mel Gibson surreal comedy "What Women Want."