---
name: "Gary Dontzig"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/gary-dontzig"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "18 March 1946"
died: "23 February 2026"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T21:21:06.385947+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Gary Dontzig

Writer. Born 18 March 1946 in New York City. Died 23 February 2026.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 18 March 1946, New York City
- **Died:** 23 February 2026

## Biography

Gary Dontzig (18 March 1946 – 23 February 2026) was an American television writer, producer and former actor. Born in New York City, he began his career with guest roles on series including *The Waltons*, *Laverne & Shirley* and *One Day at a Time*, and appeared on stage in a touring production of *Mame*.

With writing partner Steven Peterman he joined the original writing staff of the CBS sitcom *Murphy Brown* (1988), co-writing 25 episodes and serving as producer on 150 episodes across the first six seasons. The pair shared three Primetime Emmy Awards for the series (two for Outstanding Comedy Series and one for writing) and later developed and executive-produced the first three seasons of *Suddenly Susan* (1996). Dontzig and Peterman also worked on *State of Grace*, the final season of *Becker* (1998), and contributed to *Hannah Montana* (2006). Dontzig taught at American University and wrote plays.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, hollywoodreporter.com, variety.com, deadline.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Murphy Brown* (1988), Fi1m 77, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/murphy-brown.md)

## Also known for

- *Hannah Montana* (2006), Writer
- *Becker* (1998), Writer
- *W.I.T.C.H.* (2004), Writer
- *A Different World* (1987), Writer
- *A Royal Queens Christmas* (2021), Teleplay
- *The Baker's Son* (2021), Writer

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/gary-dontzig