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David Jacobs (writer)

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David Jacobs
Born(1939-08-12)August 12, 1939
DiedAugust 20, 2023(2023-08-20) (aged 84)
Alma materMaryland Institute College of Art
Occupation(s)Television writer, producer, and director
Years active1975–2005
Notable workDallas
Knots Landing
Paradise
Spouse(s)Lynn Pleshette (? - ?) (divorced) (1 child)
Diana Jacobs (1977 - 2023; his death) (2 children)
Children3

David Arnold Jacobs (August 12, 1939 – August 20, 2023) was an American television writer, producer, and director. He is most well known as the creator of the CBS primetime series Dallas, Knots Landing, and Paradise.

Life and career

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David Jacobs was born on August 12, 1939 in Baltimore, Maryland, the elder of two children (with a younger sister named Susan) to Melvin and Ruth Jacobs.[1] His Jewish parents were of modest means, and Jacobs's father worked as a household appliance salesman.[citation needed] Jacobs was educated at Baltimore City College High School, and received a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art.[citation needed] Soon after graduation, he moved to New York City, where he worked as an illustrator and researcher for Grolier's Encyclopedia.[citation needed] He soon branched out as a freelance writer of nonfiction articles, the best known of which concerned the architect and inventor Buckminster Fuller.[citation needed] He also wrote a children's book on the great artists of the Renaissance.[citation needed]. In 1975 he co-wrote the non-fiction book "Police, a Precinct at Work", with Sara Ann Friedman. The book was a series of stories based upon 6 months of the authors' ride-alongs with police from NYPD's 24th precinct.

His marriage to actress Lynn Pleshette produced one child, his daughter Albyn, but ended in divorce. Later, he married his second wife Diana, with whom he had two children, Aaron and Molly.[citation needed] Jacobs moved to Los Angeles to be closer to his daughter, and tried his hand at screenwriting.[citation needed] His script for a proposed unnamed pilot mini series was later named Dallas. The mini series was so successful that the show was picked up as an on-going series and cemented his career as a writer and producer.[citation needed]

Jacobs battled Alzheimer's disease in later years. He died of complications from a series of infections at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, on August 20, 2023. He was 84.[2][3][4]

Filmography

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Year Title Creator Writer Producer Director
1977 Kingston: Confidential
1977-1978 Family, season 3
1978-1979 Dallas, seasons 1-3
1979 Kaz
1979 Married: The First Year
1979-1993 Knots Landing
1980 Secrets of Midland Heights
1982 Behind the Screen
1982 Chicago Story
1984 Lace
1985 Berrenger's
1986 Dallas: The Early Years
1988-1991 Paradise
1991-1993 Homefront
1992-1993 Bodies of Evidence
1993 The Knots Landing Block Party
1997 Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac
1998 Four Corners
2005 Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again

References

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  1. ^ 1950 US Census via Ancestry.com.
  2. ^ Koseluk, Chris (August 22, 2023). "David Jacobs, Creator of 'Dallas' and 'Knots Landing,' Dies at 84". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  3. ^ Zee, Michaela (August 22, 2023). "David Jacobs, 'Dallas' and 'Knots Landing' Creator, Dies at 84". Variety. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  4. ^ Pedersen, Erik (August 22, 2023). "David Jacobs Dies: 'Dallas' & 'Knots Landing' Creator Was 84". Deadline. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
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