About Bud Yorkin
Bud Yorkin, 89, American film and television producer (All in the Family, Blade Runner, Sanford and Son) and actor.
Explore other notable deaths in 2015 or deaths in August 2015.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Bud Yorkin?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Full Biography
|Alan David "Bud" Yorkin (February 22, 1926 – August 18, 2015) was an American film and television producer, director, screenwriter, and actor.
Biography
Yorkin was born Alan David Yorkin on February 22, 1926, in Washington, Pennsylvania. At age 16, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving during World War II. Yorkin earned a degree in engineering from Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh.
In 1950, young Bud Yorkin was the "kid stage manager" of the production team for NBC's The Colgate Comedy Hour hosted by the new comedy sensations Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin and written by Ed Simmons and Norman Lear. At one point, Yorkin asked Jerry Lewis for a favor. His sister had a young son who'd been stricken with Muscular dystrophy and was dying from it, and Yorkin asked Lewis if he could possibly make an announcement at the show's end to ask viewers to donate to the newly founded Muscular Dystrophy Association. Lewis made the appeal and "the money rolled in," and that was the start of Lewis's life-long commitment and his subsequent annual Labor Day telethon that ultimately raised over $2 billion for the MDA.
In 1954, Yorkin became the producer of NBC's The Tony Martin Show, a 15-minute variety program which preceded the nightly news on Monday evenings. In 1955, he produced and directed the live 11-episode half-hour military comedy, The Soldiers, starring Hal March, Tom D'Andrea, and John Dehner. In 1956, he became the producer and director of Tennessee Ernie Ford's NBC half-hour comedy/variety program, The Ford Show.
In 1958, Yorkin joined writer/producer Norman Lear to form Tandem Productions, which produced several motion pictures and television specials in the 1960s to 1971 with such major studios as United Artists and Warner Bros. Yorkin directed and produced the 1958 TV special An Evening with Fred Astaire, which won nine Emmy Awards. He later produced many of the hit sitcoms of the 1970s, such as All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, and Sanford and Son.
After his split with Lear, Yorkin went on to form Bud Yorkin Productions. His first sitcom after the split was the unsuccessful Sanford and Son spin-off sitcom Grady. In 1976, he formed TOY Productions with Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein (who produced Sanford and Son from 1974 to 1977) and their two hits were What's Happening!! and Carter Country. TOY Productions was acquired by Columbia Pictures Television in 1979.
In 1963, Yorkin directed Come Blow Your Horn, starring Frank Sinatra and Lee J. Cobb. In 1967 he directed Divorce American Style starring Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds and for which Norman Lear and Robert Kaufman were nominated for the Best Screenplay Oscar. Yorkin went on to direct and produce the film Start the Revolution Without Me starring Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland in 1970 which has become a cult classic. He also directed the film Twice in a Lifetime in 1985, starring Gene Hackman.
In 1999, he and Lear were awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of excellence and innovation in creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television. In 2002, Yorkin was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Yorkin died on August 18, 2015, at the age of 89. He was married to actress Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, and was the father of television writer and producer Nicole Yorkin from his thirty-year first marriage to Peg Yorkin, co-founder and chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation. He was a member of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple.
Filmography
As director
- Come Blow Your Horn (1963)
- Never Too Late (1965)
- Divorce American Style (1967)
- Inspector Clouseau (1968)
- Start the Revolution Without Me (1970)
- The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973)
- Twice in a Lifetime (1985)
- Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988)
- Love Hurts (1990)
As producer
- Cold Turkey (executive producer) (1971)
- Blade Runner (executive producer) (1982)
- Deal of the Century (1983)
- Intersection (1994)
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Articles & News
- "Bud Yorkin, Overlooked 'All in the Family' Legend, Dies at 89"hollywoodreporter.com
- "Bud Yorkin dies at 89; partner in TV's 'All in the Family,' 'Sanford and Son' "latimes.com
- "Bud Yorkin, Writer and Producer of 'All in the Family,' Dies at 89"nytimes.com
Reported coverage of Bud Yorkin; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Bud Yorkin on Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Yorkin
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Bud Yorkin's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Bud Yorkin born?
- A.Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- B.Washington, Pennsylvaniacorrect
- C.New York City, New York
- D.Los Angeles, California
Bud Yorkin was born Alan David Yorkin on February 22, 1926, in Washington, Pennsylvania.
Source: Biography section
2.At what age did Bud Yorkin enlist in the U.S. Navy?
- A.20
- B.22
- C.16correct
- D.18
At age 16, Bud Yorkin enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served during World War II.
Source: Biography section
3.Which university did Bud Yorkin attend to earn a degree in engineering?
- A.Carnegie Techcorrect
- B.Columbia University
- C.University of California
- D.University of Pennsylvania
Bud Yorkin earned a degree in engineering from Carnegie Tech, which is now known as Carnegie Mellon University.
Source: Biography section
4.Bud Yorkin worked on which television program in 1950 as a kid stage manager?
- A.All in the Family
- B.The Ford Show
- C.The Tony Martin Show
- D.The Colgate Comedy Hourcorrect
In 1950, Bud Yorkin was the kid stage manager for NBC's The Colgate Comedy Hour.
Source: Biography section
5.What medical cause was the subject of the appeal Bud Yorkin asked Jerry Lewis to make?
- A.Muscular dystrophycorrect
- B.Heart disease
- C.Cancer research
- D.Polio vaccination
Bud Yorkin asked Jerry Lewis to make an appeal for the Muscular Dystrophy Association for his nephew who was suffering from the disease.
Source: Biography section
6.What was the name of the production company Bud Yorkin formed with Norman Lear in 1958?
- A.TOY Productions
- B.Columbia Productions
- C.Bud Yorkin Productions
- D.Tandem Productionscorrect
In 1958, Bud Yorkin joined writer and producer Norman Lear to form Tandem Productions.
Source: Biography section
7.How many Emmy Awards did the TV special An Evening with Fred Astaire win?
- A.Twelve
- B.Seven
- C.Ninecorrect
- D.Five
Bud Yorkin produced and directed the 1958 TV special An Evening with Fred Astaire, which won nine Emmy Awards.
Source: Biography section
8.Which company acquired TOY Productions in 1979?
- A.United Artists
- B.Columbia Pictures Televisioncorrect
- C.Warner Bros.
- D.NBC Universal
TOY Productions, which Bud Yorkin formed in 1976, was acquired by Columbia Pictures Television in 1979.
Source: Biography section
9.Who starred in the 1985 film Twice in a Lifetime, directed by Bud Yorkin?
- A.Donald Sutherland
- B.Gene Hackmancorrect
- C.Gene Wilder
- D.Frank Sinatra
Bud Yorkin directed the 1985 film Twice in a Lifetime, which starred Gene Hackman.
Source: Biography section
10.In what year was Bud Yorkin inducted into the Television Hall of Fame?
- A.1999
- B.1995
- C.2002correct
- D.2010
Bud Yorkin was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2002.
Source: Biography section
11.Bud Yorkin received the Women in Film Lucy Award in 1999 alongside whom?
- A.Saul Turteltaub
- B.Norman Learcorrect
- C.Cynthia Sikes Yorkin
- D.Peg Yorkin
In 1999, Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear were awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award.
Source: Biography section
12.Who was the co-founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation and Bud Yorkin's first wife?
- A.Debbie Reynolds
- B.Cynthia Sikes Yorkin
- C.Nicole Yorkin
- D.Peg Yorkincorrect
Peg Yorkin was Bud Yorkin's wife of thirty years and a co-founder and chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
Source: Biography section
13.Which of these sitcoms was produced by Bud Yorkin?
- A.The Tony Martin Show
- B.The Ford Show
- C.Carter Countrycorrect
- D.The Soldiers
Carter Country was one of the two hits produced by TOY Productions, a company formed by Bud Yorkin.
Source: Biography section
14.At what age did Bud Yorkin pass away?
- A.92
- B.82
- C.89correct
- D.85
Bud Yorkin died on August 18, 2015, at the age of 89.
Source: Biography section
15.Bud Yorkin served as an executive producer on which science fiction film?
- A.Start the Revolution Without Me
- B.Blade Runnercorrect
- C.Cold Turkey
- D.Intersection
Bud Yorkin is credited as an executive producer for the film Blade Runner.
Source: Filmography section
16.Which film was directed by Bud Yorkin in 1968?
- A.The Thief Who Came to Dinner
- B.Come Blow Your Horn
- C.Inspector Clouseaucorrect
- D.Never Too Late
According to the filmography, Bud Yorkin directed the film Inspector Clouseau in 1968.
Source: Filmography section
People who died on August 18
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Bud Yorkin →
