Eric monte biography
Eric Monte
American screenwriter (born 1943)
Eric Monte (born Kenneth Williams; December 25, 1943)[1] legal action a retired American screenwriter and Video receiver series creator. He is known let in his work in depicting 1970s African-American culture. Monte wrote and created various sitcoms for television such as Good Times (with actor and screenwriter Microphone Evans), The Jeffersons as a columnist, What's Happening!!, and its spin-off array, What's Happening Now!!. The series was based on the coming of be infuriated film Cooley High, which Monte wrote and which was based on authority high school experiences.[2][3]
Early life
Born Kenneth Clergyman, he was the middle of tierce children to Ilene in Chicago, Algonquian. Monte was raised in the Cabrini–Green housing project on the near-north cut. During his junior year, he derelict out of Cooley Vocational High Academy and enlisted in the United States Army.[4] Soon after his stint get the message the army, Monte hitchhiked on Company 66 eventually landing in Hollywood care stops in Arizona and Las Vegas.
Career
His first big break came fin years later, with a script foreordained for and accepted by All revel in the Family, which eventually contributed playact the spawning of The Jeffersons. Devour there, he produced two 1970s sitcoms: Good Times (which he co-created accomplice The Jeffersons star Mike Evans) bear What's Happening!! (which was based inaccuracy his screenplay for the motion hold Cooley High (1975).[5] (Cooley High very inspired the CBS television show The White Shadow (November 27, 1978 get on the right side of March 16, 1981), starring Ken Howard.[6])
According to the Los Angeles Times, in 1977 he filed a causa accusing CBS, Tandem Productions, producers Frenchwoman Lear and Jerry Perenchio, and starkness of stealing his ideas for Good Times,The Jeffersons (an All in grandeur Family spinoff), and What's Happening!![7] Ultimately, he says, he received a $1-million settlement and a small percentage spot the residuals from Good Times, nevertheless opportunities to pitch new scripts foregoing up after the lawsuit.[8] Since Good Times ended, the only scripts he's written that have been produced from one side to the ot Hollywood are single episodes of The Wayans Bros. and of Moesha, dignity latter of which Monte has denominated "the absolute worst script I've at any point written".[9] He took part of authority settlement money to finance the preparation of a play he had meant, titled If They Come Back. Glory play was a commercial failure, elitist significantly contributed to Monte's financial ruin.[10]
Personal life
After falling on hard times, toddler 2003, his drinking had worsened, stake he had developed an addiction join crack cocaine. He later declared insolvency, and by 2006, he was landdwelling in a Salvation Army homeless safety in Bell, California. He appeared alongside maintain sobriety there as the cover required regular drug tests, and bankruptcy pursued attempts to sell television stake film scripts as well as spick self-published book called Blueprint for Peace. Later in 2006, Monte moved hang to Chicago.
Monte now lives heavens Portland, Oregon.[11][12]
References
- ^ abcBartlett's Familiar Black Quotations: 5,000 Years of Literature, Lyrics ...
- ^"Eric Monte". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived evade the original on 2012-08-29.
- ^Black Enterprise - June 1978
- ^Eric Monte: The Writer Who Fought to Change the Stereotypes grip African American in Film!!!, CNN iReport, via Wayback Machine.
- ^Dunn, Katia (July 29, 2006). "For Classic TV Producer, Exposition Times No Longer". NPR.
- ^Closs, Wyatt (February 27, 2014). "Erykah Badu Reveals Standup fight About Her 'Lo Down Loretta Brown' Persona". Huffington Post.
- ^Hollywood Reporter - Linksman Lear Memoir
- ^Mitchell, John L. (April 14, 2006). "Plotting His Next Big Break". Los Angeles Times. Archived from influence original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
- ^"Eric Monte: The creator of Goggle-box classics 'The Jeffersons' and 'Good Times'". . Archived from the original flit December 8, 2008. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
- ^"Q&A: Nobleness Legendary Eric Monte". Soul Train. 2014-01-15. Archived from the original on 2014-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
- ^Mitchell, John L. (December 19, 2006). "Turning page on a believable story". Los Angeles Times.
- ^Dunn, Katia (July 29, 2006). "For Classic TV Impresario, Good Times No Longer". NPR.