Harry Ackerman

A TV pioneer, Harry Ackerman worked as producer on some of the most famous shows in the medium's history. After a brief period running his own production company, he joined Screen Gems in 1958 as vice president of production. One of the first shows he worked on was "Leave It to Beaver" in 1957, serving as executive producer. He went on to produce a number of highly successful family-oriented sitcoms in the 1960s, including "Dennis the Menace," "The Donna Reed Show," "Gidget," and "Hazel." He co-created "The Flying Nun," a very popular series starring Sally Field, and "Bewitched," about a housewife-sorceress with magical powers, which ran from 1964 until 1972. Ackerman also had a hand in classics such as "Gunsmoke," "Our Miss Brooks," and "I Love Lucy." He wrote multiple episodes of "The Flying Nun" and "Love on a Rooftop," another show he created. In all, Ackerman produced or co-created over 20 series, making him one of the most prolific producers in history; at one point, seven of his shows were on the air at one time.