Herb Sargent, WGA East president, dies at 81
WGAE's Herb Sargent dies
May 7, 2005
Herb Sargent, president of the WGA East for the past 14 years and a veteran television scribe whose career ranged from "The Victor Borge Show" to "Saturday Night Live," has died. He was 81.
The six-time Emmy Award-winner died Friday in New York. The cause of death was not immediately released.
"Herb was exceptionally generous to all writers and brought an unfailing sense of decency and good will to everything he did for the guild," WGAE executive director Mona Mangan said. "And, always, he was gloriously, brilliantly funny. We will miss him terribly."
Starting in radio in the 1940s, Sargent shifted to television and such shows as "Colgate Comedy Hour," "The Tonight Show with Steve Allen," "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," "The Perry Como Show" and "The Week That Was."
As a writer-producer on "Saturday Night Live" for more than 20 years, Sargent was known to have inspired and mentored generations of comedy writers.
"Herb Sargent was a great man," WGAE vp Warren Leight said. "He did more to help writers than anyone I've ever known."
Leight has been named president and the WGAE Council will elect a new vp.
Sargent wrote the screenplay of "Bye Bye Braverman" and worked on TV specials for Como, Bing Crosby, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis Jr., Alan King, Paul McCartney, Lily Tomlin and Burt Bacharach. He further contributed to such specials as "The 43rd Annual Emmy Awards" and "NBC's 75th Anniversary."
Sargent received six Emmy Awards and six WGA Awards as well as the WGAE's Richard B. Jablow Award for service to the guild.
As a champion of writers, Sargent also belonged to the Dramatists Guild and Songwriters Guild of America. He formerly served on the board of governors of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Sargent was raised in Upper Darby, Penn., where he graduated from high school. He studied architecture at Penn State before joining the U.S. Army. During World War II, he served in New Guinea with the Air Transport Command of the U.S. Army Air Corps.
He moved to Los Angeles after the war, graduated from UCLA and then moved to New York to begin writing for radio.
Sargent is survived by his wife, LeGrand Council Mellon, and his brother, screenwriter Alvin Sargent.
The six-time Emmy Award-winner died Friday in New York. The cause of death was not immediately released.
"Herb was exceptionally generous to all writers and brought an unfailing sense of decency and good will to everything he did for the guild," WGAE executive director Mona Mangan said. "And, always, he was gloriously, brilliantly funny. We will miss him terribly."
Starting in radio in the 1940s, Sargent shifted to television and such shows as "Colgate Comedy Hour," "The Tonight Show with Steve Allen," "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," "The Perry Como Show" and "The Week That Was."
As a writer-producer on "Saturday Night Live" for more than 20 years, Sargent was known to have inspired and mentored generations of comedy writers.
"Herb Sargent was a great man," WGAE vp Warren Leight said. "He did more to help writers than anyone I've ever known."
Leight has been named president and the WGAE Council will elect a new vp.
Sargent wrote the screenplay of "Bye Bye Braverman" and worked on TV specials for Como, Bing Crosby, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis Jr., Alan King, Paul McCartney, Lily Tomlin and Burt Bacharach. He further contributed to such specials as "The 43rd Annual Emmy Awards" and "NBC's 75th Anniversary."
Sargent received six Emmy Awards and six WGA Awards as well as the WGAE's Richard B. Jablow Award for service to the guild.
As a champion of writers, Sargent also belonged to the Dramatists Guild and Songwriters Guild of America. He formerly served on the board of governors of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Sargent was raised in Upper Darby, Penn., where he graduated from high school. He studied architecture at Penn State before joining the U.S. Army. During World War II, he served in New Guinea with the Air Transport Command of the U.S. Army Air Corps.
He moved to Los Angeles after the war, graduated from UCLA and then moved to New York to begin writing for radio.
Sargent is survived by his wife, LeGrand Council Mellon, and his brother, screenwriter Alvin Sargent.
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