Hollywood producer and screenwriter Allan Burns has passed away. Sunday afternoon, Burns’ colleagues began paying their respects to the writer — a co-creator behind staples like The Munsters and The Mary Tyler Moore Show — on their respective social media profiles. He was 85.
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Filmmaker James L. Brooks penned a heartfelt tribute, calling Burns the “finest man” he had ever known. “Alan [sic] Burns, my writing partner during the Mary Tyler Moore days, died yesterday,” Brooks tweeted. “His singular writing career brought him every conceivable recognition. But, you had to know him to appreciate his full rarity. He was simply the finest man I have every [sic] known. A beauty of a human.”
Alan Burns, my writing partner during the Mary Tyler Moore days, died yesterday. His singular writing career brought him every conceivable recognition. But, you had to know him to appreciate his full rarity. He was simply the finest man I have every known. A beauty of a human
— james l. brooks (@canyonjim) January 31, 2021
Actor Ed Asner — known for his work as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the Lou Grant spinoff — penned a similar tribute.
I am so sad at the passing of the Allan Burns. A mensch like no other, a friend and so incredibly talented. Say hello to the gang Allan. pic.twitter.com/Bgk9gyepiT
— Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) January 31, 2021
Born in 1934, Burns — a native of Baltimore, Maryland — graduated from the University of Oregon in 1957. Burns subsequently moved to Hollywood and began a storied career, that included producing and writer credits on anything fron The Munsters and Room 222 to animated hits of the era like The Rock and Bullwinkle Show and Dudley Do-Right.
Burns was nominated for an Oscar in 1979 for his work on penning the script for George Roy Hill’s A Little Romance. Other notable credits include Get Smart, Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, Just the Way You Are, and Just Between Friends.
