Dan McGrath obit

Dan McGrath Dies: Emmy-Winning ‘Simpsons’ Writer Was 61

 He was not on the list.

Dan McGrath, an Emmy-winning comedy writer best known for his credits on animated classics ranging from the inimitable (The Simpsons) to the cult favorite (Mission Hill), died November 14. He was 61.

Born on July 20, 1964, in Brooklyn, McGrath graduated from Regis High School and Harvard University, where he was vice president of the storied humor publication The Harvard Lampoon and a prolific theater director, per his online obituary. “His prodigious talents and singular personality will be missed by many devoted friends,” the obit read.

“We lost my incredible brother Danny yesterday. He was a special man, one of a kind. An incredible son, brother, uncle and friend. Our hearts are broken,” wrote his sister, Gail McGrath Garabadian, on Facebook. Garabadian told The Hollywood Reporter that her brother’s cause of death was a stroke.

The comic and scribe additionally wrote for Saturday Night Live, for which he was Emmy nominated in 1992, working with the likes of then-cast members Adam Sandler and Chris Farley. He later won an Emmy for The Simpsons‘ 1997 episode “Homer’s Phobia,” which featured guest voice actor John Waters and received praise (and accolades) from organizations like GLAAD for its anti-homophobia message.

Other notable episodes he penned for the longest-running American sitcom include “Time and Punishment,” “Bart of Darkness,” “Treehouse of Horror IV” and “Boy-Scoutz ’n the Hood.” He logged 50 credits with the show as a writer and over 20 as a producer. McGrath said he was fired twice from the series.

His additional animated series writing credits include installments of Gravity Falls, King of the Hill and The PJs; he also served as producer on the latter two. McGrath also wrote on Sammy, co-created by SNL collaborator David Spade, and Muppets Tonight.

He is survived by his mother, Eleanor; his brother Michael and wife Caroline; his brother Peter; his sister, Gail; his nephew Dillon and his nieces Kylie and Emma.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Regis High School.

Writer

Kathy Najimy, Johnny Hardwick, Toby Huss, Mike Judge, Stephen Root, Pamela Adlon, and Lauren Tom in King of the Hill (1997)

King of the Hill

7.6

TV Series

written by

2003–2009

11 episodes

 

Mission Hill (1999)

Mission Hill

7.8

TV Series

written by

2002

2 episodes

 

Sammy (2000)

Sammy

6.3

TV Series

written by

2001

1 episode

 

Eddie Murphy, James Black, Michael Paul Chan, Cassi Davis, Loretta Devine, Ja'net DuBois, Cheryl Francis Harrington, Jenifer Lewis, Kevin Michael Richardson, Crystal Scales, and Pepe Serna in The PJs (1999)

The PJs

6.8

TV Series

written bystory by

2001

2 episodes

 

Frank Oz, Brian Henson, Bill Barretta, Kevin Clash, Dave Goelz, and Steve Whitmire in Muppets Tonight (1996)

Muppets Tonight

7.7

TV Series

written by

1996

3 episodes

 

Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and Yeardley Smith in The Simpsons (1989)

The Simpsons

8.6

TV Series

written bystory editorexecutive story consultant

1992–1994

50 episodes

 

Saturday Night Live (1975)

Saturday Night Live

8.0

TV Series

written byadditional sketches by (as Daniel McGrath, as Daniel McGrath)

1991–1992

24 episodes

 

Saturday Night Live: All the Best for Mother's Day

TV Special

Writer

1992

 

Producer

Kathy Najimy, Johnny Hardwick, Toby Huss, Mike Judge, Stephen Root, Pamela Adlon, and Lauren Tom in King of the Hill (1997)

King of the Hill

7.6

TV Series

consulting producerco-executive producer

2002–2010

28 episodes

 

Mission Hill (1999)

Mission Hill

7.8

TV Series

supervising producer

1999–2002

6 episodes

 

Sammy (2000)

Sammy

6.3

TV Series

co-executive producerexecutive producer

2000–2001

6 episodes

 

Eddie Murphy, James Black, Michael Paul Chan, Cassi Davis, Loretta Devine, Ja'net DuBois, Cheryl Francis Harrington, Jenifer Lewis, Kevin Michael Richardson, Crystal Scales, and Pepe Serna in The PJs (1999)

The PJs

6.8

TV Series

co-executive producer

2001

1 episode

 

Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and Yeardley Smith in The Simpsons (1989)

The Simpsons

8.6

TV Series

consulting producer

1996–1998

20 episodes

 

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

Muscle

6.5

TV Series

co-producer

1995

1 episode

 

Additional Crew

Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, and Alex Hirsch in Gravity Falls (2012)

Gravity Falls

8.9

TV Series

story editor

2012

15 episodes

 

Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat in Anna and the King (1999)

Anna and the King

6.7

crowd coordinator

1999

 

Soundtrack

Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and Yeardley Smith in The Simpsons (1989)

The Simpsons

8.6

TV Series

lyrics: "Springfield, Springfield"lyrics: "One"writer: "Springfield, Springfield" (uncredited, uncredited, uncredited)

1993–1998

3 episodes

 

Actor

Kathy Najimy, Johnny Hardwick, Toby Huss, Mike Judge, Stephen Root, Pamela Adlon, and Lauren Tom in King of the Hill (1997)

King of the Hill

7.6

TV Series

Jamaican Radio Rapper (voice, uncredited)

2003

1 episode

 

Second Unit or Assistant Director

James Purefoy and Hugo Weaving in Bedrooms and Hallways (1998)

Bedrooms and Hallways

6.6

third assistant director

1998

 

Thanks

Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and Yeardley Smith in The Simpsons (1989)

The Simpsons

8.6

TV Series

acknowledgement: writing contribution

1994

1 episode

 

Self

Comic-Con '08 Live (2008)

Comic-Con '08 Live

4.3

TV Special

Self

2008