Paul Junger Witt obit

Paul Junger Witt, ‘Partridge Family’ Producer, Dies at 77

Along with an accomplished TV career, he was also a producer on a number of movies, including 'Dead Poets Society,' 'Three Kings' and 'Insomnia.'

 He was not on the list.

Paul Junger Witt, who produced such classic TV shows as The Partridge Family, Soap and The Golden Girls, died Friday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist stated. He was 77.

Witt died after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Along with his accomplished TV career, Witt was also a producer on a number of movies, including Dead Poets Society, Three Kings and Insomnia.

Beyond his work on the big and small screen, Witt had a passion for the environment that led him to serving on the California State Park and Recreation Commission for 16 years in the roles of chairman, vice chairman and commissioner. Among his involvement with other environmentally conscious organizations, he served on the board of ecoAmerica.

Witt was born in New York on March 20, 1941. A 1963 graduate of the University of Virginia, he had a seat on the school’s council of the arts as well as a membership on the USC School of Cinematic Arts board of councilors.

Witt would meet his future wife, TV writer Susan Harris, in 1973 after he left Columbia Pictures to work with Tony Thomas at Danny Thomas Productions (Tony was a son of comedian and actor Danny). In 1975, the two men formed Witt/Thomas Productions, then Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions.

Witt and Harris would marry in 1983 and have five children together: Christopher, Anthony, Genevieve, Oliver and Sam.

Director

Getting Together (1971)

Getting Together

7.2

TV Series

Director

1971–1972

 

Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, David Cassidy, Suzanne Crough, Brian Forster, and Shirley Jones in The Partridge Family (1970)

The Partridge Family

6.6

TV Series

Director

1970–1971

2 episodes

 

Joan Blondell, Robert Brown, Bridget Hanley, Bobby Sherman, and David Soul in Here Come the Brides (1968)

Here Come the Brides

7.6

TV Series

Director

1968–1970

7 episodes

 

The Second Hundred Years (1967)

The Second Hundred Years

7.6

TV Series

Director

1967–1968

2 episodes

 

Occasional Wife (1966)

Occasional Wife

7.1

TV Series

Director

1967

1 episode

 

Writer

Hail to the Chief (1985)

Hail to the Chief

7.2

TV Series

story by

1985

1 episode

 

Producer

Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan in Beauty and the Beast (2012)

Beauty and the Beast

7.0

TV Series

executive producer

2012–2016

56 episodes

 

Feed Me

7.0

TV Series

executive producer

2014

1 episode

 

A Better Life (2011)

A Better Life

7.2

producer

2011

 

Al Pacino and Robin Williams in Insomnia (2002)

Insomnia

7.2

producer

2002

 

George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube in Three Kings (1999)

Three Kings

7.1

producer

1999

 

Everything's Relative

7.0

TV Series

executive producer

1999

5 episodes

 

Peter Gallagher, Mitch Rouse, and Bradley Whitford in The Secret Lives of Men (1998)

The Secret Lives of Men

7.9

TV Series

executive producer

1998

1 episode

 

Malcolm McDowell, Carol Kane, Lucy Liu, Kevin Corrigan, and Rhea Perlman in Pearl (1996)

Pearl

5.9

TV Series

executive producer

1996–1997

22 episodes

 

Joey Lawrence, Andrew Lawrence, and Matthew Lawrence in Brotherly Love (1995)

Brotherly Love

7.1

TV Series

executive producer

1995–1997

40 episodes

 

John Larroquette in The John Larroquette Show (1993)

The John Larroquette Show

7.2

TV Series

executive producer

1993–1996

84 episodes

 

Common Law (1996)

Common Law

6.0

TV Series

producer

1996

 

Minor Adjustments (1995)

Minor Adjustments

7.1

TV Series

executive producer

1995–1996

20 episodes

 

Mike Damus and Michael Rispoli in My Guys (1996)

My Guys

5.4

TV Series

executive producer

1996

2 episodes

 

Radiant City (1996)

Radiant City

5.5

TV Movie

executive producer

1996

 

Local Heroes (1995)

Local Heroes

7.7

TV Series

executive producer

1996

1 episode

 

Valerie Harper in The Office (1995)

The Office

6.9

TV Series

executive producer

1995

6 episodes

 

Dinah Manoff, Kristy McNichol, David Leisure, Richard Mulligan, and Park Overall in Empty Nest (1988)

Empty Nest

6.6

TV Series

executive producer

1988–1995

170 episodes

 

Alan Ruck, Nestor Carbonell, Wendy Benson-Landes, Michael Boatman, Dan Gauthier, Shannon Kenny, Jerry Levine, and Amy Pietz in Muscle (1995)

Muscle

6.2

TV Series

executive producer

1995

13 episodes

 

Jenna von Oÿ, Joey Lawrence, Mayim Bialik, Michael Stoyanov, and Ted Wass in Blossom (1990)

Blossom

6.1

TV Series

executive producer

1990–1995

114 episodes

 

Close to Home

8.2

TV Movie

executive producer

1994

 

Steve Martin, Juliette Lewis, Liev Schreiber, Adam Sandler, Madeline Kahn, Anthony LaPaglia, and Rita Wilson in Mixed Nuts (1994)

Mixed Nuts

5.4

producer

1994

 

Harvey Fierstein, Dudley Moore, Keri Russell, Phil Buckman, and Meredith Scott Lynn in Daddy's Girls (1994)

Daddy's Girls

6.0

TV Series

executive producer

1994

3 episodes

 

Markus Flanagan, Kip Gilman, Stephanie Hodge, and Arnetia Walker in Nurses (1991)

Nurses

6.6

TV Series

executive producer

1991–1994

68 episodes

 

Ken Hudson Campbell, Molly Hagan, Rick Lawless, Peter Mackenzie, and William Ragsdale in Herman's Head (1991)

Herman's Head

7.2

TV Series

executive producer

1991–1994

72 episodes

 

Country Estates

7.9

TV Movie

executive producer

1993

 

Don Cheadle, Estelle Getty, Cheech Marin, Rue McClanahan, Billy L. Sullivan, and Betty White in The Golden Palace (1992)

The Golden Palace

7.2

TV Series

executive producer

1992–1993

24 episodes

 

Woops! (1992)

Woops!

6.1

TV Series

executive producer

1992

11 episodes

 

Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Betty White in The Golden Girls (1985)

The Golden Girls

8.2

TV Series

executive producer

producer

1985–1992

173 episodes

 

Kim Basinger and Richard Gere in Final Analysis (1992)

Final Analysis

5.9

producer

1992

 

Walter & Emily (1991)

Walter & Emily

6.5

TV Series

executive producer

1992

1 episode

 

Lenny (1990)

Lenny

7.4

TV Series

executive producer

1990–1991

17 episodes

 

Good & Evil (1991)

Good & Evil

7.4

TV Series

executive producer

1991

11 episodes

 

Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman in Beauty and the Beast (1987)

Beauty and the Beast

7.0

TV Series

executive producer

1987–1990

44 episodes

 

We'll Take Manhattan (1990)

We'll Take Manhattan

TV Movie

executive producer

1990

 

The Earth Day Special (1990)

The Earth Day Special

5.8

TV Special

executive producer

1990

 

Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)

Dead Poets Society

8.1

producer

1989

 

Heartland (1989)

Heartland

7.1

TV Series

executive producer

1989

9 episodes

 

It's a Living (1980)

It's a Living

7.0

TV Series

executive producer

producer

1980–1989

120 episodes

 

Mama's Boy

5.7

TV Series

producer

1987

1 episode

 

The Line

TV Movie

executive producer

1987

 

One Big Family (1986)

One Big Family

7.0

TV Series

executive producer

1986–1987

16 episodes

 

Comedy Factory (1985)

Comedy Factory

4.9

TV Series

executive producer

1986

3 episodes

 

Tough Cookies (1986)

Tough Cookies

6.0

TV Series

executive producer

1986

6 episodes

 

Benson (1979)

Benson

7.1

TV Series

executive producer

1979–1986

158 episodes

 

Hail to the Chief (1985)

Hail to the Chief

7.2

TV Series

executive producer

1985

7 episodes

 

Just Married!

TV Special

producer

1985

 

Christopher Collet in Firstborn (1984)

Firstborn

6.2

producer (produced by)

1984

 

Helen Hunt, Anthony Edwards, Richard Crenna, Patty Duke, Billie Bird, and Richard McKenzie in It Takes Two (1982)

It Takes Two

6.9

TV Series

executive producer

1982–1983

22 episodes

 

Condo (1983)

Condo

7.0

TV Series

executive producer

producer

1983

2 episodes

 

I'm a Big Girl Now (1980)

I'm a Big Girl Now

6.7

TV Series

executive producer

1980–1981

19 episodes

 

Billy Crystal, Katherine Helmond, Roscoe Lee Browne, Cathryn Damon, Jay Johnson, Robert Mandan, Richard Mulligan, and Arthur Peterson in Soap (1977)

Soap

8.3

TV Series

executive producer

1977–1981

88 episodes

 

Trouble in High Timber Country (1980)

Trouble in High Timber Country

6.3

TV Movie

executive producer

1980

 

The Yeagers

TV Series

executive producer

1980

1 episode

 

Susan Dey and Kip Gilman in Loves Me, Loves Me Not (1977)

Loves Me, Loves Me Not

7.0

TV Series

producer

1977

3 episodes

 

The Practice (1976)

The Practice

6.6

TV Series

executive producer

1976

2 episodes

 

High Risk (1976)

High Risk

5.6

TV Movie

executive producer

1976

 

Fay (1975)

Fay

6.2

TV Series

executive producer

1975–1976

4 episodes

 

Griffin and Phoenix (1976)

Griffin and Phoenix

7.4

TV Movie

executive producer

1976

 

Kim Novak and Doug McClure in Satan's Triangle (1975)

Satan's Triangle

5.9

TV Movie

executive producer

1975

 

The Gun and the Pulpit (1974)

The Gun and the Pulpit

5.7

TV Movie

executive producer

1974

 

Remember When (1974)

Remember When

7.7

TV Movie

producer

1974

 

Blood Sport (1973)

Blood Sport

6.7

TV Movie

producer

1973

 

The Letters (1973)

The Letters

6.2

TV Movie

producer

1973

 

A Cold Night's Death (1973)

A Cold Night's Death

6.6

TV Movie

producer

1973

 

Kate Jackson, Georg Stanford Brown, Sam Melville, and Michael Ontkean in The Rookies (1972)

The Rookies

6.8

TV Series

producer

1972

5 episodes

 

Home for the Holidays (1972)

Home for the Holidays

6.2

TV Movie

producer

1972

 

No Place to Run (1972)

No Place to Run

6.2

TV Movie

producer

1972

 

Bobby Jo and the Good Time Band

6.2

TV Movie

producer

1972

 

Getting Together (1971)

Getting Together

7.2

TV Series

producer

1971–1972

14 episodes

 

James Caan, Shelley Fabares, and Billy Dee Williams in Brian's Song (1971)

Brian's Song

7.5

TV Movie

producer

1971

 

Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, David Cassidy, Suzanne Crough, Brian Forster, and Shirley Jones in The Partridge Family (1970)

The Partridge Family

6.6

TV Series

producer

1970–1971

25 episodes

 

Joan Blondell, Robert Brown, Bridget Hanley, Bobby Sherman, and David Soul in Here Come the Brides (1968)

Here Come the Brides

7.6

TV Series

producer

1968–1970

52 episodes

 

The Second Hundred Years (1967)

The Second Hundred Years

7.6

TV Series

associate producer

1967–1968

25 episodes

 

Occasional Wife (1966)

Occasional Wife

7.1

TV Series

associate producer

1966–1967

30 episodes

 

Additional Crew

Inger Stevens and William Windom in The Farmer's Daughter (1963)

The Farmer's Daughter

7.4

TV Series

assistant to the producer

1965–1966

17 episodes

 

Thanks

Tyra Banks, Bill Bellamy, French Stewart, and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras in Love Stinks (1999)

Love Stinks

5.7

the producers wish to thank (as Paul Witt)

1999

 

Self

TV Land Moguls (2004)

TV Land Moguls

6.6

TV Mini Series

Self

2009

1 episode

 

Biography (1987)

Biography

7.7

TV Series

Self

2002–2003

2 episodes

 

Intimate Portrait (1990)

Intimate Portrait

7.5

TV Series

Self - Interviewee

Self

2003

2 episodes

 

TV Tales (2002)

TV Tales

5.6

TV Series

Self

2002

1 episode

 

Linda Blair in TV's Most Censored Moments (2002)

TV's Most Censored Moments

7.0

TV Movie

Self

2002

 

Under the Bunker: On the Set of 'Three Kings'

5.7

Video

Self - Producer

2000

 

The 38th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1986)

The 38th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

6.2

TV Special

Self - Winner

1986

 

Archive Footage

Damien Duvot in Les Chroniques du Mea (2012)

Les Chroniques du Mea

6.7

TV Series

Self (archive footage)

2020

1 episode