Bernie Orenstein, a prolific writer-producer whose career spanned TV hits like Candid Camera, Sanford & Son, and Kate & Allie, has died.
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Orenstein's family confirmed to Variety that he passed away on Sept. 14, without disclosing details surrounding his death. The TV veteran was 95.
A Toronto native, Orenstein cut his teeth as an actor on Canadian TV shows Encounter and On Camera in the 1950s, according to Deadline. He never left acting completely behind, playing small parts later on shows like Sanford & Son and The New Dick Van Dyke Show.
Orenstein transitioned to writing in the 1960s, penning bits for Candid Camera before writing scripts for shows like The Monkees. However, his breakthrough came writing for the variety show The Hollywood Palace in the late 1960s. That's also when he first started working with his longtime collaborator, Saul Turteltaub.
Orenstein and Turteltaub were tastemakers in classic TV. The duo wrote and produced beloved shows like That Girl, What's Happening!!, and Redd Foxx's legendary sitcom Sanford & Son.
Bernie Orenstein Worked with Legends Like Redd Foxx, Dean Martin, and Judy Garland
Orenstein and Turteltaub went on to work on TV shows for another two decades. They spearheaded '80s shows such as One in a Million, Double Trouble, E/R, Foley Square, You Again? and One of the Boys.Their most well-remembered series after their 1970's hits was Kate & Allie, headlined by SNL original cast member Jane Curtin and Susan Saint James.
Orenstein's final screen credit was on the 1990's series Cosby.
Over the course of his decades-long career, Orenstein worked with legends like Foxx, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, and Dean Martin.
Meanwhile, Orenstein also enjoyed a second career as an educator at Long Island University Brooklyn's TV Writers Studio MFA program, mentoring generations of TV writers.
Per Variety, the veteran TV writer-producer was once asked how he'd like to be remembered. "By the body of work and the fact that I never hurt anybody," he shot back.
Orenstein leaves behind his wife, Barbara Rhoades Orenstein, four children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
