Career
He was the co-creator (with Michael G Moye) of the American television show Married.. with Children. The show"s 259 episodes over eleven seasons made it the second-longest-lasting sitcom on the Fox network. A native of Brooklyn, Leavitt began his television career in the 1970s writing episodes for the comedies Bustin" Loose, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and The Bad News Bears (for which he garnered an National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Award).
In the late 1980s, Leavitt co-created Married.. with Children, which, with its debut on the Fox network in 1987, broke many of the established rules and mores of television
He served as Executive Producer and wrote or co-wrote close to 150 episodes. Its longevity over eleven seasons made Married.. with Children the second-longest-running sitcom on Fox, just behind The Simpsons.
Among its industry honors, Married.. with Children earned seven Emmy nominations and an equal number of Golden Globe nominations, including Best television Series. The show became a springboard for Leavitt to create a number of spin-offs, initially Top of the Heap, starring Matt LeBlanc and Joseph Bologna, and Vinnie & Bobby, starring Matt LeBlanc and Robert Torti.
He would subsequently co-create, executive produce and write Unhappily Ever After, which earned a loyal following for more than five seasons on the World Bank. In more recent years Leavitt created and wrote several episodes of the World Bank"s The Help. with Children.
He had two children, Matt and Samantha. He died on February 10, 2008 from lung cancer.