Lee Aronsohn

{{Short description|American screenwriter, director, composer and TV producer}}

{{infobox person

|name=Lee Aronsohn

|image=Lee Aronsohn in September 2011.jpg

|caption=Aronsohn in September 2011

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1952|12|15}}

|birth_place=United States

|occupation=Television writer, television producer, composer, screenwriter, film director

}}

Lee Aronsohn (born December 15, 1952){{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0036950/|title=Lee Aronsohn|website=IMDb|access-date=2018-07-10|archive-date=2020-10-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024161717/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0036950/|url-status=live}} is an American television writer, composer and producer.

He is the co-creator of the successful TV series Two and a Half Men. He has written for many sitcoms, such as The Love Boat, Who's the Boss?, Murphy Brown, Grace Under Fire, The Big Bang Theory, and Cybill.

Career

In 1975, he founded the comic bookstore "Trade-a-Tape Comic Center" in Lincoln, Nebraska, which he ran for two years. {{As of|December 2010}}, the store is still in operation, under its second owner.{{Cite web|last=Korbelik|first=Jeff|title=TV producer is reason for 'Big Bang's' Nebraska connections|url=https://journalstar.com/entertainment/small-screen/television-and-radio/tv-producer-is-reason-for-big-bangs-nebraska-connections/article_28a8cc9b-f653-52b5-81ed-e492c026ed9d.html|date=December 18, 2010|access-date=2021-03-26|publisher=Lincoln Journal Star|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005161252/https://journalstar.com/entertainment/small-screen/television-and-radio/tv-producer-is-reason-for-big-bangs-nebraska-connections/article_28a8cc9b-f653-52b5-81ed-e492c026ed9d.html|url-status=live}}

In 1997, he co-created the sitcom starring Rick Reynolds and Pam Dawber, Life... and Stuff.{{cite web|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/06/arts/his-so-called-life-days-of-whine-and-neuroses.html|title=His So-Called Life: Days of Whine and Neuroses|first=Caryn|last=James|author-link=Caryn James|date=June 6, 1997|access-date=February 17, 2017|archive-date=September 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925082911/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/06/arts/his-so-called-life-days-of-whine-and-neuroses.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|work=Variety|title=Review: 'Life and Stuff'|date=June 6, 1997|url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/life-and-stuff-3-1200450308/|access-date=December 10, 2017|archive-date=June 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628044312/https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/life-and-stuff-3-1200450308/|url-status=live}}

In 2003, he co-created the sitcom Two and a Half Men and wrote the original music for the series as well. Besides writing scripts, Aronsohn has also worked as executive producer and directs one show per season. He is also executive producer and writer for The Big Bang Theory.

In 2018, he released his first feature-length documentary, 40 Years in the Making: The Magic Music Movie, about his efforts to reunite his favorite band from his college years, Magic Music. The movie enjoys a limited theatrical release starting August 3 and was released digitally September 4, 2018.{{Cite web|last=Farber|first=Stephen|date=2018-08-01|title='40 Years in the Making: The Magic Music Movie': Film Review|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/40-years-making-magic-music-movie-review-1131379/|access-date=2021-12-18|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US|archive-date=2024-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240731042235/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/40-years-making-magic-music-movie-review-1131379/|url-status=live}}

He is Jewish.{{cite tweet |last=Aronsohn |first=Lee |author-link=Lee Aronsohn |user=BennyAce |number=188881134061490176 |date=April 8, 2012 |title=I'm Jewish, wife is Christian. Holiday Compromise: Told 3yr old the Bunny of Death would pass over house tonite & leave chocolate matzoh. |language=en |access-date=June 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013143937/https://twitter.com/BennyAce/status/188881134061490176 |archive-date=October 13, 2019 |url-status=live}}

Selected credits

class="wikitable sortable" ! rowspan="2" \|Title ! rowspan="2" \|Year ! colspan="4" \|Credited as ! rowspan="2" \|Network
Creator !Director !Writer !Executive Producer
Two and a Half Men \|2003–2015 \|{{Yes\|Yes\|align=center\|style=\|color=}} \|{{Yes\|Yes\|align=center\|style=\|color=}} \|{{Yes\|Yes\|align=center\|style=\|color=}} \|{{Yes\|Yes\|align=center\|style=\|color=}} \|CBS
The Big Bang Theory \|2007–2019 \|{{No\|No\|align=center\|style=\|color=}} \|{{No\|No\|align=center\|style=\|color=}} \|{{Yes\|Yes\|align=center\|style=\|color=}} \|{{Yes\|Yes\|align=center\|style=\|color=}} \|CBS

class="wikitable sortable"

! rowspan="2" |Title

! rowspan="2" |Year

! colspan="4" |Credited as

! rowspan="2" |Network

Creator

!Director

!Writer

!Executive

Producer

Two and a Half Men

|2003–2015