Personal life
Schwartz was born in Passaic, New Jersey to a Jewish family.
In his 1988 book, Inside Gilligan's Island, Schwartz mentions he did not get along well with Red Skelton. In his early years as head writer, it was in his contract that Schwartz would not have to meet face-to-face with Skelton.
Life and career
Schwartz's entertainment career came "by accident." He relocated from New York to southern California to pursue a master of science degree in biology. In need of employment, he began writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio program, for which Schwartz's brother, Al Schwartz, worked. Schwartz recalled that Hope "liked my jokes, used them on his show and got big laughs. Then he asked me to join his writing staff. I was faced with a major decision — writing comedy or starving to death while I cured those diseases. I made a quick career change.
He went on to write for Ozzie Nelson's The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and other radio shows. He was a writer on the Armed Forces Radio Network before he got his break in television. He went on to create and produce Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch. He wrote the theme song for three of his shows: Gilligan's Island (co-wrote), It's About Time, and The Brady Bunch. Actresses Dawn Wells and Florence Henderson, who appeared in Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch, respectively, accompanied Schwartz when he received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
TV appearances
During the late 1990s and the 2000s, he made many appearances on TV talking about his series, on shows such as the CBS Evening News, 20/20, TV Land's Top Ten and A&E's Biography. He also took part in a "Creators" marathon on Nick at Nite in the late 1990s. He was also a guest at the 2004 TV Land Awards.
In 1988, Schwartz appeared on The Late Show with Ross Shafer for a Gilligan's Island reunion, along with all seven castaways from Gilligan's Island. This was the last time they were all together on television; actors Jim Backus, Alan Hale Jr., Natalie Schafer, and Bob Denver have since died, leaving only three surviving actors from the show.
Death
On July 12, 2011, Sherwood Schwartz died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Mildred Schwartz and their four children: Donald, Lloyd (the creator of The Munsters Today), Ross, and Hope (Mrs. Juber; reportedly named after Bob Hope).
Filmography
Schwartz produced a number of radio and TV shows during his career.
Series Years Job
The Bob Hope Show 1938–1942 Writer for Radio Version
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet 1940s Writer for Radio Version
The Alan Young Show 1940s Writer for Radio Version
I Married Joan 1952–1955 Writer
The Red Skelton Show 1956–1962 Writer
My Favorite Martian 1963 Script Supervisor
Gilligan's Island 1964–1967 Writer, Creator, Producer
It's About Time 1966–1967 Writer, Creator, Producer
The Brady Bunch 1969–1974 Writer, Creator, Producer
Dusty's Trail 1973–1974 Writer, Creator, Producer
Big John, Little John 1976 Producer
Harper Valley PTA 1981–1982 Writer, Producer
Together We Stand 1986–1987 Writer, Producer
Stage productions
On November 10, 2006, his play Rockers opened in Theater West in California. In 1990, he wrote Gilligan's Island: The Musical, still in production as of 2011. His son Lloyd, daughter Hope, and son-in-law Laurence Juber worked on the play as well.
Unsold pilots
He wrote and Executive Produced these two pilots
Scamps (1982) - Starring Bob Denver, Dreama Denver, and Joey Lawrence
The Invisible Woman (1983) - Starring Bob Denver, Alexa Hamilton, George Gobel, and Harvey Korman
Awards
Won the 1961 Emmy Award for his writing on The Red Skelton Show.
Was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his 2004 special "Still Brady After All These Years"
On March 7, 2008, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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