Biography
Al Burton, Emmy-winning creator and Executive Producer of "Win Ben Stein's Money," has led the show to win seven Emmys for Comedy Central. Early in his career as a producer, writer, and director, Burton built a vast portfolio of youthful entertainment credits, including Four Star's "Hollywood A Go Go," ABC-TV's Annual PepsiCo Specials "Romp" and "Go!," and the ABC summer series "Malibu U." Serving as Norman Lear's Director of Development, Burton co-developed the groundbreaking series "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and acted as Creative Supervisor throughout its 325 episodes. He also developed and supervised "Fernwood 2Night" and "America 2Night" with Lear. Additionally, Burton was the developer and Creative Supervisor for shows such as "Facts of Life," "One Day At A Time," "Diff'rent Strokes," "The Jeffersons," "Silver Spoons," and "Square Pegs."
At Universal Television, he developed and served as Executive Producer of "Charles In Charge" for six and a half years, the nation's most successful first-run syndicated comedy. Burton also developed and executive produced the first-run series "The New Lassie." An accomplished composer and lyricist, he co-wrote and composed themes for "Diff'rent Strokes," "Facts of Life," "Together We Stand," "Nothing Is Easy," "Charles In Charge," "The New Lassie," and "Turn Ben Stein On."
Al Burton is among America's most honored producers of youth-oriented television. He shared Emmy awards for "All In The Family," and was recognized by the National Conference for Christians and Jews for "Diff'rent Strokes." The California Governor's Committee for the Employment of the Handicapped honored him for "Facts of Life" and "Charles In Charge." The Entertainment Industries Council gave him special commendations for "The New Lassie" and "Charles In Charge," and he received the Jackie Coogan Award from Youth In Film for Outstanding Contribution to Youth Through Entertainment. Burton also won The Genesis Award for addressing animal issues in "The New Lassie."
As Executive Producer and developer, Burton has launched the careers of numerous young stars, including Michael J. Fox (cast in the Norman Lear-Alex Haley series "Palmerstown"), Valerie Bertinelli ("One Day At A Time"), Molly Ringwald ("The Facts Of Life"), Christina Applegate ("Charles In Charge"), Sarah Jessica Parker ("Square Pegs"), Meg Ryan ("Charles In Charge"), Gary Coleman ("Diff'rent Strokes"), Mark-Paul Gosselaar ("Charles In Charge"), Tiffini-Amber Thiessen ("Charles In Charge"), Jami Gertz ("Square Pegs"), Nicole Eggert ("Charles In Charge" & "Baywatch"), Kathy Ireland ("Charles In Charge"), Erika Eleniak ("Charles In Charge" & "Baywatch"), Pamela Lee ("Charles In Charge" & "Baywatch"), Leonardo DiCaprio ("The New Lassie"), among many others.
Burton is a member of the Directors Guild, Writers Guild, AFTRA, NATAS, and the Academy of Magical Arts. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Pilgrim Group of Mutual Funds, is part of the Chair's Council of the Caucus for Producers, Writers, and Directors, and serves on the advisory boards of the Institute for Mental Health Initiatives and the Samantha Smith Center.
