Roger Beatty, Emmy-winning writer of ‘The Carol Burnett Show’, dies aged 87
Roger Beatty, the five-time Emmy-award winning writer of the popular 'The Carol Burnett Show’ died at the age of 87 on April 6. He suffered from prostate cancer and passed away at his home in Palm Desert according to his family representative who confirmed the news of his death to Deadline.
After serving three years in the US Coast Guard, Beatty began his career in showbiz in 1956 with 'The Bing Crosby Show'. As an up and coming writer, he also worked on shows such as 'The Red Skelton Show' and 'The Danny Kaye Show', which were shows taped at CBS Television City. It was after working in a number of shows that Beatty collaborated with his childhood friend and director Dave Powers for 'The Carol Burnett Show'.
Beatty worked on 'The Carol Burnett Show' for almost a decade. His first sketch for it was written in 1969 and he continued to work on the show until it came to an end in 1978. After this, Beatty also directed many specials including episodes of 'Mama’s Family' with Harvey Korman. He also co-wrote 'The Billion Dollar Hobo' in 1977 with Tim Conway. He also worked Tim Conway on the Dorf comedy DVDs.
In 1976, Beatty received an Achievement Award from the Director’s Guild for his work on 'Beverly Sills' and 'Carol Burnett at the Met'. Beatty's last project was 'Together Again', which was a live performance of over 500 shows across the U.S. For this, he worked with Tim Conway and Harvey Korman.
His family also reportedly said that because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying stay-at-home orders across the country, a celebration of Beatty's life will be held later. Beatty is survived by family members including his older brother Darryl, his partner Georgette, three daughters, a daughter-in-law, granddaughter, grandson-in-law, and friends.
'The Carol Burnett Show' was about the comedian and stage actress hosting a variety show and the supporting cast members of the show included Harvey Korman, Tim Conway and Vicki Lawrence. The first episode of the show aired on September 11, 1967, and the last episode was aired on March 29, 1978.