Diane English facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Diane English
Diane English on the set of The Women
Born	(1948-05-18) May 18, 1948 (age 77) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Buffalo State College
Occupation	Director screenwriter producer
Spouse(s)	Joel Shukovsky ​ (m. 1977⁠–⁠2010)​

Diane English (born May 18, 1948) is an American writer, producer, and director. She is famous for creating the TV show Murphy Brown. This show won many awards, including 18 Primetime Emmy Awards. She also wrote and directed the movie The Women in 2008. Diane English has won several awards for her work.

Diane English's Early Life

Diane English was born in Buffalo, New York. Her mother was Anne English, and her father, Richard English, was an electrical engineer. She went to Nardin Academy in Buffalo. Later, she graduated from Buffalo State College in 1970.

Her Career in Television

Diane English started her career at WNET. This was a public television station in New York City. She first worked as a story editor. This means she helped choose and develop stories for a show called The Theatre in America. Then, she became an associate director for TV Lab. From 1977 to 1980, she wrote a monthly article about television for Vogue magazine.

In 1980, she helped write a TV movie for PBS called The Lathe of Heaven. This movie was based on a science fiction book. For this, she received her first nomination for a Writers Guild Award. This award is given to excellent writers. After that, she wrote other TV movies like Her Life as a Man (1984) and Classified Love (1986).

Creating Comedy Shows

In 1985, Diane English created her first comedy TV series. It was called Foley Square. It was shown on CBS in 1985 and 1986. The show starred actors like Margaret Colin and Jon Lovitz. It did not get very high ratings and was cancelled after 14 episodes.

From 1986 to 1987, she was an executive producer and writer for another CBS comedy series. This show was called My Sister Sam. It starred Pam Dawber. This show also lasted for two seasons before being cancelled.

The Success of Murphy Brown

In 1988, Diane English created the CBS TV series Murphy Brown. This show became very popular. She won three Emmy Awards for it. One was for outstanding writing, and two were for outstanding comedy series. The show ran for ten years, from 1988 to 1998. It had a total of 247 episodes. Murphy Brown won 18 Emmy Awards from 62 nominations.

In 1992, the show caused a big discussion. The main character, Murphy Brown, decided to have a baby without being married. The Vice President at the time, Dan Quayle, talked about this. He said that popular culture, like Murphy Brown, was not helping American families. He believed the show made it seem okay to have a child alone. This started a big debate about "family values" in America. The actress who played Murphy Brown, Candice Bergen, later said she agreed that fathers are important. This discussion happened during an election year.

During the time Murphy Brown was popular, Diane English and her partner, Joel Shukovsky, made a deal with CBS. Their company, Shukovsky English Entertainment, got special rights to future TV series they would create.

Other TV Projects

Diane English also created other comedy series. One was Love & War (1992–1995). It starred Susan Dey and Jay Thomas. Later, Annie Potts joined the show. She also helped create and produce other shows. These included Double Rush (1995), Ink (1996), and The Louie Show (1996). Unfortunately, most of these shows did not last for more than one season.

Making Movies

In 2008, Diane English wrote, produced, and directed her first feature film. It was called The Women. This comedy movie was a new version of a 1939 film. It starred famous actresses like Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, and Eva Mendes. The movie received mixed reviews from critics. However, it earned a lot of money around the world, much more than it cost to make.

That same year, Diane English and the cast of The Women received an honor. They were given the Women in Film Crystal award. This award celebrates women who work in communication and media.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Diane English para niños