David Jacobs
Born(1939-08-12)August 12, 1939
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedAugust 20, 2023(2023-08-20) (aged 84)
Burbank, California, U.S.
Alma materMaryland Institute College of Art
Occupation(s)Television writer, producer, and director
Years active1975–2005
Notable workDallas
Knots Landing
Paradise
Spouse(s)Lynn Pleshette (? - ?) (divorced) (1 child)
Diana Jacobs (1977 - 2023; his death) (2 children)
Children3

David Arnold Jacobs (August 12, 1939 – August 20, 2023) was an American television writer, producer, and director. He is most well known as the creator of the CBS primetime series Dallas, Knots Landing, and Paradise.

Life and career

David Jacobs was born on August 12, 1939 in Baltimore, Maryland, the elder of two children (with a younger sister named Susan) to Melvin and Ruth Jacobs.[1] His Jewish parents were of modest means, and Jacobs's father worked as a household appliance salesman. Jacobs was educated at Baltimore City College High School, and received a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Soon after graduation, he moved to New York City, where he worked as an illustrator and researcher for Grolier's Encyclopedia. He soon branched out as a freelance writer of nonfiction articles, the best known of which concerned the architect and inventor Buckminster Fuller. He also wrote a children's book on the great artists of the Renaissance.. In 1975 he co-wrote the non-fiction book "Police, a Precinct at Work", with Sara Ann Friedman. The book was a series of stories based upon 6 months of the authors' ride-alongs with police from NYPD's 24th precinct.

His marriage to actress Lynn Pleshette produced one child, his daughter Albyn, but ended in divorce. Later, he married his second wife Diana, with whom he had two children, Aaron and Molly. Jacobs moved to Los Angeles to be closer to his daughter, and tried his hand at screenwriting. His script for a proposed unnamed pilot mini series was later named Dallas. The mini series was so successful that the show was picked up as an on-going series and cemented his career as a writer and producer.

Jacobs battled Alzheimer's disease in later years. He died of complications from a series of infections at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, on August 20, 2023. He was 84.[2][3][4]

Filmography

Year Title Creator Writer Producer Director
1977 Kingston: Confidential ✓
1977-1978 Family, season 3 ✓
1978-1979 Dallas, seasons 1-3 ✓ ✓
1979 Kaz ✓
1979 Married: The First Year ✓ ✓ ✓
1979-1993 Knots Landing ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
1980 Secrets of Midland Heights ✓ ✓
1982 Behind the Screen ✓ ✓
1982 Chicago Story ✓
1984 Lace ✓
1985 Berrenger's ✓
1986 Dallas: The Early Years ✓ ✓
1988-1991 Paradise ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
1991-1993 Homefront ✓
1992-1993 Bodies of Evidence ✓ ✓
1993 The Knots Landing Block Party ✓
1997 Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac ✓
1998 Four Corners ✓
2005 Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again ✓

References

  1. ↑ 1950 US Census via Ancestry.com.
  2. ↑ Koseluk, Chris (August 22, 2023). "David Jacobs, Creator of 'Dallas' and 'Knots Landing,' Dies at 84". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  3. ↑ Zee, Michaela (August 22, 2023). "David Jacobs, 'Dallas' and 'Knots Landing' Creator, Dies at 84". Variety. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  4. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (August 22, 2023). "David Jacobs Dies: 'Dallas' & 'Knots Landing' Creator Was 84". Deadline. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
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