Chuck Lorre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chuck Lorre
Lorre in 2013
Born	Charles Michael Levine (1952-10-18) October 18, 1952 (age 72) Plainview, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Writer, producer, director, composer
Years active	1984–present
Spouse(s)	Paula Smith ​ ​ (m. 1979; div. 1992)​ Karen Witter ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2010)​ Arielle Mandelson ​ ​ (m. 2018; div. 2024)​
Children	2

Charles Michael Lorre (/ˈlɔːri/ LOR-ee; né Levine; born October 18, 1952) is an American television producer, writer, director, and composer. Nicknamed the "King of Sitcoms", Lorre has created/co-created and produced many sitcoms including Cybill (1995–1998), Dharma & Greg (1997–2002), Two and a Half Men (2003–2015), The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019), and Mom (2013–2021). He also served as an executive producer of Roseanne. Lorre won three Golden Globe Awards for his work on Roseanne, Cybill, and The Kominsky Method.

Early life and education

Lorre was born in Plainview, New York, to a Jewish family and given the Hebrew name Chaim. His father, Robert, opened a luncheonette that did poorly, which caused financial problems. After graduating from high school, Lorre attended State University of New York at Potsdam, dropping out after two years to pursue a career as a songwriter.

He changed his surname from Levine to Lorre at age 26.

Career

Lorre in 2007

After leaving school, Lorre toured the United States as a guitarist and songwriter. He wrote the song "French Kissin'", which Deborah Harry later recorded for her 1986 Rockbird album and which became a UK Top 10 hit. In the early 1980s, he turned to writing scripts for animated shows; his first project was the DIC version of Heathcliff. He co-wrote the soundtrack to the 1987 television series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Dennis Challen Brown. In the late 1980s, he shifted into writing for sitcoms, and joined the writing staff of Roseanne. Though he was fired over "irreconcilable creative differences", Lorre's time on Roseanne impressed producers, and led to his creating his first show, Frannie's Turn. It was cancelled after 5 weeks.

Lorre's second show as creator, Grace Under Fire, starred comedian Brett Butler. It premiered on ABC in 1993, and was nominated at the 52nd Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. His next show was Cybill, starring Cybill Shepherd. While Lorre left after two seasons, Cybill went on to air for four seasons on CBS, receiving critical acclaim and winning a Primetime Emmy Award in 1995 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for co-star Christine Baranski, and two Golden Globe Awards in 1996 for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy for Cybill Shepherd. Lorre signed a deal with Carsey-Werner Productions in 1994.

Lorre then moved to 20th Century Fox in 1995 to create the next project., creating Dharma & Greg in partnership with Dottie Zicklin (credited as Dottie Dartland), which premiered one year before the end of Cybill in 1997. It starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as the title characters, whose personalities were complete opposites—Dharma's world view being more spiritual and 'free spirit'-style, instilled by "hippie" parents, contrasted with Greg's world view of structure, social status requirements, and "white collar duty" instilled by his generations of affluent parents/ancestors. The show received eight Golden Globe nominations, six Emmy Award nominations, and six Satellite Awards nominations, and Elfman won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in 1999.

To move on to his next project, Lorre signed a long-term deal with Warner Bros. Television in 2000, a relationship that continues to this day. Lorre created his fifth show, Two and a Half Men, with co-creator Lee Aronsohn. It focuses on the two Harper brothers, Charlie and Alan. Charlie is a hedonistic, successful commercial jingles composer who owns a beach house in Malibu. Alan is a neurotic chiropractor, thrown out of his own house by his divorcing wife. The premise is that Alan worms himself into Charlie's house and clashes with his lifestyle. Alan also has a son, Jake, the "half", who comes to visit him and Charlie on weekends. Two and a Half Men premiered on CBS in 2003 and became the highest-rated sitcom in America. In 2011, CBS put the show on hiatus following a series of incidents of production shutdowns due to Charlie Sheen's personal problems, including his verbal attacks directed at Lorre during a radio interview. Sheen was fired from the show and filed a $100 million lawsuit against Lorre and Warner Bros. Television for wrongful termination. Lorre killed off Sheen's character and hired Ashton Kutcher as his replacement for the show's later four seasons.

Lorre's next show was The Big Bang Theory with co-creator Bill Prady. It follows two genius physicists, Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, with few social skills who befriend their neighbor, an attractive, outgoing young woman with average intelligence and no college education. The episodes usually focus primarily on the daily lives of the men and two of their brilliant but equally socially challenged friends, with a dose of absurdity from the relationship with their less educated but socially astute neighbor. The two main protagonists are named after actor and television producer Sheldon Leonard. The show was broadcast on CBS from 2007 to 2019 and was the highest rated comedy series in the United States. The show also launched two spin-offs: Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage.

In 2018, Lorre created The Kominsky Method, which follows a fictional aging acting coach used to success. It stars Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin and won Lorre a Golden Globe Award in 2019.

Other shows

Lorre was executive producer of Mike & Molly, created by Mark Roberts, which premiered on CBS in September 2010. His seventh show, created with Gemma Baker and Eddie Gorodetsky, Mom, premiered on CBS on September 23, 2013. On March 13, 2014, CBS announced the second season renewal of Mom. It ran for eight seasons.

Controversy surrounded United States of Al, a show produced by Lorre for CBS. Released to mostly negative reviews, United States of Al and its makers were criticized for the show's humor, use of antiquated tropes, and in particular, the casting of a South-African-born Indian actor to play an Afghan lead and his use of an inauthentic accent.

Vanity cards

The unique vanity cards for Chuck Lorre Productions have become a "trademark" for Lorre, starting with Dharma & Greg and used for every one of his shows since. An Apple Macintosh computer was used for Lorre's production card on the earlier Grace Under Fire and Cybill.

Typically, on the end of every episode of his productions, Lorre includes a different message that usually reads like an editorial, essay, or observation on life. A typical card might include a range of topics as diverse as what the Bee Gees never learned, the cancellation of Dharma & Greg, his support of Barack Obama, the competence of AOL Time Warner management, and the genesis of Two and a Half Men.

The card is shown for only a few seconds at most, so longer messages require the viewer to pause at the right spot or visit Lorre's website where he posts the cards. CBS has censored Lorre's vanity cards on several occasions; Lorre posts both the censored and uncensored versions of the cards.

Lorre published a compilation of his vanity cards in a coffee table book titled What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Bitter, released on October 16, 2012. The book takes its title from Vanity Card #1, which first aired following the first episode of Dharma & Greg on September 24, 1997.

Lorre created a special, unnumbered vanity card for Bookie, his first show released exclusively to streaming television. In the vanity card, Lorre remarked on the irrelevancy of writing vanity cards in an age where most streaming platforms encourage credits-skipping, remarking "Why on earth am I writing vanity cards for BOOKIE?" and "If a vanity card is written on MAX, and no one reads it, was it amusing?". This vanity card on the 7th episode of Bookie, titled "The Super Bowl: God's Gift to Bookies", which aired on December 21, 2023, on MAX, was dedicated to Marvin Miles, who died on August 3, 2023, at the age of 72. The tombstone reads: "R.I.P. Marvin Miles (October 6, 1950–August 3, 2023)". The vanity card reads: "In Memory of "Marvelous" Marvin Miles". Lorre discusses about algorithm, or bot, or some sort of silicon-based magical genie to secure the future of Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, because Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage premiered on October 17, 2024 on CBS.

Selected credits

Lorre in September 2008

Timeline

Awards and recognition

Lorre won BMI Television Music Awards in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009 for Two and a Half Men. On March 12, 2009, Lorre received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard. Three months later, Lorre received an honorary degree from the State University of New York at Potsdam and gave a keynote address at the graduation.

In March 2012, Lorre was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Lorre has won Golden Globe Awards for Roseanne (1993), Cybill (1996), and The Kominsky Method (2019). Lorre was awarded the Critics' Choice Award for Creative Achievement in 2019.

Personal life

Lorre was first married to his business partner Paula Smith in 1979. They ended both partnerships after 13 years and the births of their two children.

He was married to Karen Witter, an actress, model and author. They divorced in July 2010 after a decade's marriage.

From 2010 to 2011, he was in a relationship with Emmanuelle Vaugier, a Canadian actress and model, who appeared in 12 episodes of Two and a Half Men.

In September 2018, Lorre married Arielle Mandelson, a wellness influencer. Lorre filed for divorce in 2022. The divorce was finalized in February 2024.