Steven Levitan

{{Short description|American television director, television producer, and screenwriter}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Steven Levitan

| image = Steven Levitan.jpg

| caption = Levitan in 2010

| birth_name = Steven E. Levitan

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|4|6}}

| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

| alma_mater = University of Wisconsin–Madison (B.A.)

| occupation = {{hlist|Television producer|television director|screenwriter}}

| years_active = 1990–present

| notable_works = Just Shoot Me!
Modern Family

| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Krista Levitan|1992|2018|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Kristina McElligott|2022}}}}

| children = 3

}}

Steven E. Levitan (born April 6, 1962) is an American television producer, director, and screenwriter. He has created many television series such as Just Shoot Me!, Stark Raving Mad, Stacked, Back to You, Modern Family, and Reboot.

Early life and education

Levitan was raised Jewish in Chicago, Illinois.{{cite web |last1=Levitan |first1=Steven |title=Hollywood's 'elite': We're not villains |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-12-12-levitan-edit_x.htm |website=USA Today |access-date=August 13, 2021 |date=December 12, 2004 |quote= I was raised Jewish, my wife was raised Catholic.}}{{cite web |last1=Berrin |first1=Danielle |title=Politics, gender and Jewishness loom large at Emmys |url=https://jewishjournal.com/mobile_20111212/108298/politics-gender-and-jewishness-loom-large-at-emmys |website=The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles |access-date=August 13, 2021 |date=September 23, 2012}} He attended Glenbrook South High School and University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1980 to 1984, graduating with a bachelor's degree in journalism. While at college, he started his career in comedy working on shows for Humorology, a philanthropic comedy review held annually by fraternities and sororities. {{Cite web |last=Price |first=Jenny |date=Spring 2012 |title=Humorology |url=https://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/humorology/ |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=On Wisconsin |language=en-US}}He is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

Career

Levitan worked as a WKOW-TV on-air news reporter and morning anchorman in Madison, Wisconsin,{{Cite news|url=http://www2.jsonline.com/enter/tvradio/aug02/67601.asp|title=Wisconsinites walkin' tall this fall with major TV gigs|last=Weintraub|first=Joanne|date=August 20, 2002|work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|access-date=December 11, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311044010/http://www2.jsonline.com/enter/tvradio/aug02/67601.asp|archive-date=March 11, 2007}} and as a copywriter at Leo Burnett Advertising in Chicago. He moved to Hollywood in 1989.

As executive producer, Levitan won an Emmy Award in 1996 for Frasier in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. He was also nominated in that same year for Outstanding Writing in Comedy Series category for The Larry Sanders Show. He was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series category for Just Shoot Me! and two more as executive producer. Levitan won the Humanitas Prize (for writers whose work best communicates and encourages human values) in 1996 for the Frasier episode titled "Breaking the Ice". Levitan has also won a CableACE Award and a Writers Guild nomination for The Larry Sanders Show. He also garnered a Producers Guild Award and a Television Critics Association Award for Frasier, a People's Choice Award for Stark Raving Mad and a Golden Globe nomination for Just Shoot Me!

His company, Steven Levitan Productions, has produced the series Just Shoot Me!, Stark Raving Mad, Greg the Bunny, Oliver Beene and Stacked.

Levitan and television writer/producer Christopher Lloyd joined as partners in 2006 and together created a production company named "Picture Day". It is under this company that they produced their co-creations Back to You and Modern Family. In 2010, Modern Family won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, as well as two other Emmy Awards: Outstanding Supporting Actor in Comedy Series for Eric Stonestreet, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd.{{cite web|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/news/article_1580875.php/Emmy-Awards-2010-Winners-List-Surprises-and-Omissions|title=Emmy Awards 2010 Winners List, Surprises and Omissions|author=MacIntyre|first=April|date=2010-08-30|work=Monsters and Critics|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902141201/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/news/article_1580875.php/Emmy-Awards-2010-Winners-List-Surprises-and-Omissions|archive-date=2010-09-02|access-date=2010-08-30}} He has also earned Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series nominations for Modern Family episodes "See You Next Fall" (2011) and "Baby on Board" (2012), winning the latter.{{Cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2012/outstanding-directing-for-a-comedy-series|title=Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series Nominees / Winners 2012|website=Television Academy|language=en|access-date=2019-12-12}}

On June 19, 2018, Levitan, along with Seth MacFarlane and Judd Apatow, announced he was considering leaving 20th Century Fox as protest of Fox News's reporting of Donald Trump's family separation policy which is at odds with Modern Family{{'}}s programming.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/06/fox-news-immigration-seth-macfarlane-paul-feig-judd-apatow-steve-levitan|title=Fox Creators Revolt as Fox News Condones Trump's Immigration Policy|last=Bradley|first=Laura|date=June 19, 2018|magazine=Vanity Fair|language=en|access-date=2019-12-12}}

Personal life

Levitan was married to his wife Krista from 1992 to 2018. They have three children, two daughters Hannah and Allie, and a son, Griffin.

In July 2021, Levitan became engaged to Kristina Maria McElligott.{{cite web |author1=stevelevitan |title=Steve Levitan on Instagram: "My new fiancé" |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CRZBbLHpo1I/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/stevelevitan/2619130923704552776 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |url-access=subscription |website=Instagram |access-date=July 30, 2021 |date=July 16, 2021}}{{cbignore}} They married on September 17, 2022. The wedding was a reunion for many members of the Modern Family cast.{{cite web |last1=Richardson |first1=Randi |title='Modern Family' cast members reunite at a wedding (again) |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/modern-family-cast-reunites-at-show-co-creators-wedding-rcna48547 |website=Today.com |access-date=September 22, 2022 |language=en |date=September 20, 2022}}

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Creator
1990–1991 \| Max Glick \| {{no}} \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
1991–1995 \| Wings \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
1994–1996 \| Frasier \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
1994 \| The Critic \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| {{no}}
1995 \| The Larry Sanders Show \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
1997 \| Men Behaving Badly \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
1997–2003 \| Just Shoot Me! \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}}
1999–2000 \| Stark Raving Mad \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}}
2000 \| Yes, Dear \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| {{no}} \| {{no}}
2002–2004 \| Greg the Bunny \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}}
2003–2004 \| Oliver Beene \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
2005–2006 \| Stacked \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}}
2007–2008 \| Back to You \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}}
2009–2020 \| Modern Family \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}}
2018 \| LA to Vegas \| {{yes}} \| {{no}} \| {{yes}} \| {{no}}
2022 \| Reboot \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}}

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"

Year

Title

Director

Writer

Producer

Creator

1990–1991

| Max Glick

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}