The Official Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson web site
"He was a remarkable person and a dear friend. I shall miss him" -Johnny Carson
Fred de Cordova joined "The Tonight Show" in 1970 as Producer, and in 1984 became Executive Producer. In his entire career he has been nominated for 16 Emmys, winning six.
De Cordova graduated from Northwestern University and Harvard Law School when a classmate -a member of the famed Shubert clan - convinced him to go into the theater. He tried acting, but found himself more skilled on the other side of the spotlight and built quite a reputation as a stage director in the 1930's and early '40s before moving into film. There, he directed projects starring the likes of Errol Flynn, Rosalind Russell, Audie Murphy, Deanna Durbin, Joan Crawford, Sydney Greenstreet and Yvonne de Carlo during years working for Universal International and under contract to Warner Bros. He also directed Ronald Reagan in "Bedtime for Bonzo" and "Bonzo goes to College" in the early 1950's.
He moved into television in the 1950's, serving as Producer and/or Director on such TV classics as "The Burns and Allen Show," "The Jack Benny Program," "The Donna Reed Show," "December Bride," "The George Gobel Show," "My Three Sons," and Later "Bewitched" and "The Smothers Brothers."