Donald Ross obit

Donald Ross Obituary

 

He was not on the list.

June 18, 1942 - June 1, 2018 Donald Ross, a playwright and screenwriter, succumbed to cancer after a long battle. He is survived by son Max Ross, daughter Alexis Hill, daughters-in-law Daphne King Ross and Jennifer Fedin, grandchildren Violet Ross and Xander Fedin-Hill, and cousins Lynda Levy and Lenore Stadlen. Donald was predeceased by his wife of 49 years, noted voice over artist Patti Deutsch Ross. Over a 30-year career, Donald wrote some of TV's most popular variety shows, comedies, and dramas: This is Tom Jones, Dinah!, Diff'rent Strokes, The Love Boat, Matlock, and Murder, She Wrote, including that show's final episode. Paired with Patti, Donald was successful on camera as a regular on the celebrity game show Tattletales. He tapped his lifelong love of hot jazz to produce and write the Peabody and Christopher Award winning Timex All-Star Swing Festival (1972). Materials from those shows along with six stage plays, the screenplay for Hamburger, the Motion Picture (1985), his Emmy certificate for Dinah!, and other selections from Donald's career are at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University, his alma mater. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to The ARChive of Contemporary Music, the next home for Donald's world-class jazz record collection. And hoist a shot of cheap Scotch, in a rock glass, but no rocks. A celebration of Donald's life is planned.

 

Writer

Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)

Murder, She Wrote

7.2

TV Series

written by

story editor

1987–1996

37 episodes

 

Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers in Hart to Hart: Two Harts in 3/4 Time (1995)

Hart to Hart: Two Harts in 3/4 Time

6.5

TV Movie

story

teleplay

1995

 

Charles in Charge (1984)

Charles in Charge

6.1

TV Series

written by

1988

1 episode

 

Tiffany Brissette in Small Wonder (1985)

Small Wonder

7.0

TV Series

written by

1987

1 episode

 

Andy Griffith in Matlock (1986)

Matlock

7.1

TV Series

written by

1986

1 episode

 

Brian Keith and Daniel Hugh Kelly in Hardcastle and McCormick (1983)

Hardcastle and McCormick

6.6

TV Series

written by

1986

1 episode

 

Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986)

Hamburger: The Motion Picture

4.7

Writer

1986

 

David Birney and Morgan Brittany in Glitter (1984)

Glitter

6.2

TV Series

written by

1985

1 episode

 

Half Nelson (1985)

Half Nelson

6.8

TV Series

Writer

1985

1 episode

 

Jon-Erik Hexum and Jennifer O'Neill in Cover Up (1984)

Cover Up

7.7

TV Series

story by

teleplay by

1985

2 episodes

 

Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)

The Love Boat

6.3

TV Series

written by

1981–1985

12 episodes

 

Loni Anderson and Lynda Carter in Partners in Crime (1984)

Partners in Crime

6.3

TV Series

written by

1984

1 episode

 

Anthony Franciosa and Christopher Norris in Finder of Lost Loves (1984)

Finder of Lost Loves

6.6

TV Series

written by

1984

1 episode

 

Hart to Hart (1979)

Hart to Hart

6.7

TV Series

written by

teleplay

story

1979–1983

9 episodes

 

Harper Valley P.T.A. (1981)

Harper Valley P.T.A.

6.6

TV Series

written by

1982

1 episode

 

Diff'rent Strokes (1978)

Diff'rent Strokes

6.7

TV Series

written by

teleplay by

1980–1982

4 episodes

 

House Calls (1979)

House Calls

6.6

TV Series

written by

1981

2 episodes

 

The Further Adventures of Wally Brown

TV Movie

staff writer (1979)

1980

 

Ron Moody in Nobody's Perfect (1980)

Nobody's Perfect

7.0

TV Series

written by

1980

1 episode

 

Shirley Hemphill in One in a Million (1980)

One in a Million

6.8

TV Series

written by

1980

1 episode

 

Love from A to Z

7.4

TV Movie

Writer

1974

 

Timex All-Star Swing Festival (1972)

Timex All-Star Swing Festival

TV Special

creator

written by

1972

 

The Special London Bridge Special (1972)

The Special London Bridge Special

6.1

TV Movie

Writer

1972

 

Tom Jones in This Is Tom Jones (1969)

This Is Tom Jones

7.7

TV Series

written by

writer

1970–1971

5 episodes

 

Producer

Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986)

Hamburger: The Motion Picture

4.7

co-producer

1986

 

Script and Continuity Department

Hart to Hart (1979)

Hart to Hart

6.7

TV Series

executive script consultant

1983

1 episode

 

Additional Crew

Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)

Murder, She Wrote

7.2

TV Series

story editor

1989–1990

7 episodes

 

Hart to Hart (1979)

Hart to Hart

6.7

TV Series

executive story editor

story editor

1982–1983

7 episodes

 

Self

Tattletales (1974)

Tattletales

7.0

TV Series

Self

1974–1977

49 episodes

 

Joyce Bulifant, Richard Dawson, Patti Deutsch, Fannie Flagg, Elaine Joyce, Dick Martin, Johnny Olson, Gene Rayburn, Charles Nelson Reilly, Nipsey Russell, Brett Somers, Marcia Wallace, and Betty White in Match Game (1973)

Match Game

8.3

TV Series

Self - Panelist

1974–1976

10 episodes