Bill Prady
William Scott Prady[2] (born June 7, 1960) is an American television writer and producer who has worked on American sitcoms and variety programs, including Married... with Children, Dream On, Star Trek: Voyager, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men and Gilmore Girls and is the co-creator of The Big Bang Theory and The Muppets.
Early life
Born in Detroit, Prady graduated from Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.[3] He began his broadcast writing career with four episodes of You Can't Do That on Television (shared credit with Terence Taylor) in the early 1980s.
Joining Jim Henson Productions, he was a production assistant on a TV special about the world of technology. Prady stayed with the company and worked in the merchandising department. With the encouragement of Jim Henson, Prady began writing working on projects ranging from the animated version of Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock to The Jim Henson Hour.[4] During his tenure at The Muppets, he was visually caricatured as the puppet "Chip" (The Jim Henson Hour). In 1991, Prady was nominated for an Emmy award for co-writing the posthumous tribute to Jim Henson entitled "The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson". He wrote the Disney theme park attractions Muppet*Vision 3D and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.
On April 3, 2015, he co-wrote and sold a new version of Muppet Show with the working title The Muppets to ABC with Bob Kushell, who also served as show runner.[5]
His first staff writing job was on the HBO series Dream On in 1995. In 1997 he joined the writing staff of Dharma & Greg, rising to Executive Producer and taking over as Showrunner in 2001. He was also a writer/producer on Good Morning, Miami, Caroline in the City, Related, Platypus Man and Gilmore Girls.[6]
From 2007 to 2019, he was the executive producer and co-creator with Chuck Lorre of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Educator
As of fall, 2012, Prady is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.[7] He is also a Trustee of the Humanitas "New Voices" program.[8]
Personal life
In 2003, he was one of 135 candidates who ran for Governor of California in the 2003 recall election, receiving 474 votes, tying him for 111th place.[9]
Prady was a Z80 programmer at The Small Computer Company.[10] In 2010, Prady was given honorary membership in the Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science.[11] In 2015, asteroid 8630 (1981 EY35) was designated 8630 Billprady in his honor.[12]
In 2013, Prady was awarded NASA's Exceptional Public Achievement Medal.[13]
In 2020, Prady appeared in a small cameo role in Bill & Ted Face the Music.[14]
In 2022, Prady was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa by Wayne State University.[15]
Prady is on the autism spectrum.[16]
Selected credits
- Caroline in the City, 1995–1997 (writer, producer)
- Dharma & Greg, 1997–2002 (writer, executive producer)
- Gilmore Girls, 2004–2005 (writer, co-executive producer)
- The Big Bang Theory, 2007–2019 (creator, writer, executive producer)
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Program | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | WGA Award | Outstanding Achievement: Variety, Musical, Award, Tribute or Special Event | Miss Piggy’s Hollywood | Won |
| 1990 | WGA Award | Outstanding Achievement: Variety, Musical, Award, Tribute or Special Event | Time Warner Presents the Earth Day Special | Won |
| 1991 | CableACE Award | Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming | The Presidential Inaugural Celebration for Children | Won |
| 1991 | WGA Award | Outstanding Achievement: Variety, Musical, Award, Tribute or Special Event | The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson | Won |
| 1991 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program | The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson | Nominated |
| 1996 | The People's Choice Awards | Favorite New Television Comedy Series | Caroline in the City | Won |
| 1998 | The People's Choice Awards | Favorite New Television Comedy Series | Dharma & Greg | Won |
| 1998 | Golden Globe Award | Best Series: Musical or Comedy | Dharma & Greg | Nominated |
| 1999 | Golden Globe Award | Best Series: Musical or Comedy | Dharma & Greg | Nominated |
| 1999 | WGA Award | Outstanding Achievement: Comedy Series | Dharma & Greg | Nominated |
| 2009 | TCA Award | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | The Big Bang Theory | Won |
| 2009 | Satellite Award | Best Television Series: Musical or Comedy | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2010 | Golden Globe Award | Best Series: Musical or Comedy | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2010 | The People's Choice Awards | Favorite Television Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Won |
| 2010 | TCA Award | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2011 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2011 | The People's Choice Awards | Favorite Television Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2011 | Producers Guild of America Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2011 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2012 | Satellite Award | Best Television Series: Musical or Comedy | The Big Bang Theory | Won |
| 2012 | TCA Award | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2012 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding International Producer | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2012 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2012 | Producers Guild of America Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2012 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2012 | Golden Globe Award | Best Series: Musical or Comedy | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2013 | The People's Choice Awards | Favorite Television Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Won |
| 2013 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Won |
| 2013 | TCA Award | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | The Big Bang Theory | Won |
| 2013 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Award: Best Comedy | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2013 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | International TV Audience Award | The Big Bang Theory | Won |
| 2013 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2013 | Golden Globe Award | Best Series: Musical or Comedy | The Big Bang Theory | Nominated |
| 2014 | The People's Choice Awards | Favorite Television Comedy Series | The Big Bang Theory | Won |
| 2022 | Drama League Award | Outstanding Production of a Play | Dana H | Nominated |
References
- ^ Bill Prady [@billprady] (27 June 2014). "Oh, and I was born in Detroit, Michigan and grew up in Southfield, Michigan. Anything else?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Bill Prady [@billprady] (27 June 2014). "Re: request to solve a Wikipedia problem: My full name is William Scott Prady, and my date of birth is 6/7/60" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Bill Prady". Facebook.
- ^ Adalian, Josef (May 12, 2015). "Everything We Know So Far about the Muppets". Vulture. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 9, 2012). "'Muppets' Revived at ABC With 'Big Bang Theory' Co-Creator". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
- ^ "Bill Prady bio". IMDB.
- ^ "Attending my first #USC Trojans football..." Twitter. September 1, 2012.
- ^ . The Humanitas Prize. 2015. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ "Special Election - Statement of the Vote" (PDF). 2003.
- ^ Bill Prady [@billprady] (24 June 2010). "For the record, I personally am a big iPhone fan even though I tend to be a PC guy (but that's 'cause I'm an old Z80 programmer)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "The Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science Bestows Honorary Memberships to The Big Bang Theory Creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady". prnewswire.com. October 7, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ Ron Baalke [@RonBaalke] (2 September 2015). "Asteroid 8630 has been named in honor of @billprady, executive producer of @BigBang_CBS Congratulations Bill!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "2013 Agency Honor Awards" (PDF). NASA. 2013. p. 38. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ "IMDB". IMDb.
- ^ "Wayne State Press Release".
- ^ "Bill Prady: Origins of Sheldon. Neurodiversity & Sensory Overload". Mayim Bialik's Breakdown. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
External links
- Bill Prady at IMDb