John Bowman (screenwriter)

{{Short description|American television writer and producer (1957–2021)}}

John Frederick Bowman (September 28, 1957 – December 28, 2021) was an American television writer and producer best known for co-creating the Fox sitcom Martin. He wrote for Saturday Night Live, The Show, and In Living Color. He also worked as the showrunner of Murphy Brown.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/14/arts/television/john-bowman-comedy-writer-with-a-knack-for-crossing-over-dies-at-64.html|title=John Bowman, Comedy Writer With a Knack for Crossing Over, Dies at 64|first=Richard|last=Sandomir|author-link=Richard Sandomir|date=January 14, 2022|access-date=January 17, 2022|work=The New York Times}}{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/john-bowman-dead-64-martin-in-living-color-snl-wga-1235145572/|title=John Bowman, Comedy Writer and Key WGA Leader During 2007-08 Strike, Dies at 64|first=Jennifer|last=Yuma|work=Variety|date=December 31, 2021|access-date=January 17, 2022}} Bowman won a Primetime Emmy Award for Saturday Night Live in 1989. He was nominated for two more, for In Living Color, in 1991 and 1992.{{cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/john-bowman|title=John Bowman|work=Television Academy|access-date=January 23, 2022}}

Early life and career

Bowman was born on September 28, 1957, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended Whitefish Bay High School.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/john-bowman-dead-martin-in-living-color-1235068818/|title=John Bowman, 'Martin' Co-Creator and 'In Living Color' Head Writer, Dies at 64|last=Barnes|first=Mike|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=December 31, 2021|access-date=October 5, 2022}} While attending Harvard College, he was an editor of The Harvard Lampoon. After graduating from Harvard Business School in 1985, he worked as a junior executive at PepsiCo. In 1988, he and his wife, Shannon Gaughan, were hired as staff writers on Saturday Night Live.

Bowman served as head of the Writers Guild of America negotiating committee during the 2007–08 writers' strike. He later taught comedy writing at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Personal life and death

Bowman married Shannon Gaughan in 1982. They met while working on The Harvard Lampoon. They had five children.{{cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/local/erik-brady-nothing-mattered-more-to-john-bowman-than-family-and-for-him-buffalo-was/article_796e0b18-6c9a-11ec-986d-8bbdba0fba11.html|title=Erik Brady: Nothing mattered more to John Bowman than family. And for him, Buffalo was family.|last=Brady|first=Erik|work=The Buffalo News|date=January 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103152511/https://buffalonews.com/news/local/erik-brady-nothing-mattered-more-to-john-bowman-than-family-and-for-him-buffalo-was/article_796e0b18-6c9a-11ec-986d-8bbdba0fba11.html|url-access=subscription|archive-date=January 3, 2022|access-date=October 5, 2022}}

He died from dilated cardiomyopathy on December 28, 2021, at his home in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 64.