Chuck Lorre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chuck Lorre
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Lorre in 2013
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| Born |
Charles Michael Levine
October 18, 1952 Plainview, New York, U.S.
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| 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 (born October 18, 1952), also known as Chuck Lorre, is an American television producer, writer, director, and composer. He is often called the "King of Sitcoms" because he has created or helped create many popular TV shows. Some of his famous sitcoms include 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 worked as an executive producer for Roseanne. Chuck Lorre has won three Golden Globe Awards for his work on Roseanne, Cybill, and The Kominsky Method.
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Early Life and Creative Beginnings
Chuck Lorre was born in Plainview, New York. His family faced financial challenges when his father's lunch counter business struggled. After high school, Lorre attended State University of New York at Potsdam for two years. He then decided to follow his dream of becoming a songwriter. He changed his last name from Levine to Lorre when he was 26 years old.
Journey in Television
After college, Lorre traveled as a guitarist and songwriter. He wrote the song "French Kissin", which was recorded by Debbie Harry and became a hit in the UK. In the early 1980s, he started writing scripts for animated shows. His first cartoon project was Heathcliff. He also helped write music for the 1987 TV series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Lorre later moved into writing for sitcoms. He joined the writing team for Roseanne. Even though he left the show due to creative differences, his work impressed other producers. This led him to create his first show, Frannie's Turn, which aired in 1992.
Creating Hit Sitcoms
Lorre's second show as a creator was Grace Under Fire, which started in 1993. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. His next show, Cybill, began in 1995 and starred Cybill Shepherd. Cybill was very successful, winning a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
In 1997, Lorre created Dharma & Greg with Dottie Zicklin. This show was about two people with very different personalities who fell in love. Dharma was a free spirit, while Greg was more structured. The show received many nominations for Golden Globe and Emmy Awards.
Chuck Lorre then signed a long-term agreement with Warner Bros. Television in 2000. This partnership continues to this day. He created his fifth show, Two and a Half Men, with Lee Aronsohn. The show was about two brothers, Charlie and Alan, and Alan's son, Jake. It became one of the highest-rated sitcoms in America.
Lorre's next big hit was The Big Bang Theory, which he created with Bill Prady. This show followed two brilliant but socially awkward physicists, Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter. They became friends with their outgoing neighbor, Penny. The show was very popular and aired from 2007 to 2019. It also led to two spin-off shows: Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage.
In 2018, Lorre created The Kominsky Method, a show about an aging acting coach. It starred Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin. This show earned Lorre another Golden Globe Award in 2019.
Other Notable Shows
Chuck Lorre was an executive producer for Mike & Molly, which premiered in 2010. His seventh show, Mom, created with Gemma Baker and Eddie Gorodetsky, started in 2013 and ran for eight seasons.
Another show produced by Lorre was United States of Al. This show received some criticism for its humor and casting choices.
Vanity Cards: A Unique Trademark
Chuck Lorre is known for his unique "vanity cards" that appear at the end of his TV shows. These are short messages that pop up for only a few seconds. They started with Dharma & Greg and have been a trademark for all his shows since.
Each vanity card usually contains a different message, like a short essay or an observation about life. Topics can range from funny thoughts to his opinions on various subjects. Because they are shown so quickly, viewers often have to pause their TV or visit Lorre's website to read the full message. Sometimes, CBS has even censored his vanity cards.
In 2012, Lorre published a book called What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Bitter, which is a collection of his vanity cards. He briefly stopped writing the cards in 2014 but later resumed them. One special card in 2015 was a tribute to the late actor Leonard Nimoy.
In 2023, when a TV executive wondered about finding "the next Chuck Lorre," he used a vanity card to humorously ask, "The next Chuck Lorre?! What the &$@? is wrong with the one you have now?!"
For his streaming show Bookie, Lorre created a special vanity card. He joked about whether vanity cards were still relevant when many streaming services let people skip credits. He also dedicated a vanity card to Marvin Miles, who passed away in 2023.
Awards and Achievements
Chuck Lorre has received many awards for his work. He won BMI Television Music Awards multiple times for Two and a Half Men. In 2009, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That same year, he was given an honorary degree from the State University of New York at Potsdam.
In 2012, Lorre was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. He has won Golden Globe Awards for Roseanne (1993), Cybill (1996), and The Kominsky Method (2019). In 2019, he also received the Critics' Choice Award for Creative Achievement.
Personal Life
Chuck Lorre has been married three times and has two children. He was first married to Paula Smith. Later, he married actress and model Karen Witter. From 2010 to 2011, he was in a relationship with actress Emmanuelle Vaugier. In 2018, he married Arielle Mandelson. Their marriage ended in February 2024.
Lorre has openly shared that he deals with health challenges and feelings of worry. He once said, "Put me in paradise and I will focus on the one thing that will make me angry." He also mentioned that he is "wired on some deep level to seek out something to be worried and obsess about."
Images for kids
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Lorre in September 2008
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See also
In Spanish: Chuck Lorre para niños
