Arnold Shapiro

{{short description|American television producer and writer (born 1941)}}

{{for|the mathematician|Arnold S. Shapiro}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Arnold Shapiro

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name = Arnold Joel Shapiro

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1941|2|1}}

| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = Television producer, writer

| known_for =

| spouse =

}}

Arnold Joel Shapiro{{Cite web |title=Arnold Joel Shapiro, Born 02/01/1941 in California {{!}} CaliforniaBirthIndex.org |url=https://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/arnold_joel_shapiro_born_1941_2400054 |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=www.californiabirthindex.org}} (born February 1, 1941) is an American television producer and writer.

His best known work is the 1978 Oscar and Emmy-winning documentary, Scared Straight!{{cite web|last=Kidder |first=Kristen |url=http://www.popmatters.com/feature/shapiro-arnold-031013/ |title=Getting Results: An Interview with Arnold Shapiro |publisher=PopMatters |date= |access-date=2014-02-08}}{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-11-na-911shapiro11-story.html |title=Arnold Shapiro|work=Los Angeles Times |date=2001-07-13 |access-date=2014-02-08}} His other productions include the CBS reality series, Rescue 911, hosted by William Shatner (1989–1996) and the CBS reality series, Big Brother (2001–2006); the ABC documentary series, Brat Camp (2005); the documentary, Scared Silent: Exposing & Ending Child Abuse, hosted by Oprah Winfrey (1992) which aired as a simulcast on CBS, NBC, PBS, followed by ABC; Break The Silence: Kids Against Child Abuse, hosted by Jane Seymour; Kids Killing Kids, hosted by Malcolm-Jamal Warner, an Emmy-winning docu-drama which aired simultaneously and commercial-free on CBS and Fox; and Emmy-winning series of seven specials,{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} The Teen Files, hosted by Leeza Gibbons. In 1987, Arnold Shapiro had produced an original how-to direct-to video project for Paramount Home Video, called How to Stop the One You Loved from Drinking and Using Drugs.{{Cite news |last=Gelman |first=Morrie |date=1987-07-08 |title=Arnold Shapiro: 'Scared Straight' To Primetime Spex, How-To Videos |pages=56, 95 |work=Variety}}

Among his 100+ awards are 16 Emmys, an Academy Award,{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} the George Foster Peabody Award, the People's Choice Award, three humanities Prizes, the Television Academy's Governor's Award, and the Career Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association.{{cite web|url=http://www.documentary.org/feature/ida-career-achievement-award-arnold-shapiro-scared-straight-top|title=IDA Career Achievement Award 2012: Arnold Shapiro|work=International Documentary Association |access-date=12 August 2018}}

Shapiro's most recent documentary series have been Homeland Security USA for ABC; If You Really Knew Me for MTV; and Beyond Scared Straight for A&E (2011-2015). Shapiro's final production was the PBS documentary Iwo Jima: From Combat to Comrades which premiered on Veteran's Day, 2015. Arnold Shapiro Productions has produced programs for all the broadcast networks and 14 cable channels. Shapiro is a native of Los Angeles and a graduate of UCLA. After a 52-year career, Shapiro retired in 2016.{{cite web |url=http://www.arnoldshapiroproductions.com/|title=Arnold Shapiro Productions|work=arnoldshapiroproductions.com |access-date=2010-01-04}}