Mort Nathan

After starting in the movie and television business as a production assistant on the low rent horror film "The Hearse," Mort Nathan became a successful sitcom writer and producer. He is probably best-known as a writer and producer for everyone's favorite sassy elderly sitcom ladies, "The Golden Girls." For four years, he helped steer the show to huge success, and in the process, he was nominated for four Emmys, winning twice for his producing and writing. A few years earlier, Nathan worked with "Golden Girls" creator Susan Harris on her sitcom "Benson"--in which Robert Guillaume played the butler of an idiosyncratic state governor--though only as a writer. Although he has worked extensively writing for sitcoms, Nathan has built up a reputation as a script doctor over the years, working on several feature film comedies, including the Farrelly Brothers' 1996 bowling comedy, "Kingpin." He's also written and directed several of his own features: for example, the 2002 Cuba Gooding Jr. comedy "Boat Trip"; "National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj," starring Kal Penn as Taj; and "National Lampoon's Bag Boy," produced by the Farrellys.