Harvey Laidman, a veteran tv director who helmed episodes of such exhibits like The Waltons, Matlock and Magnum P.I., died Jan. 3 on the age of 82.
Per earlier reporting by The Hollywood Reporter, his son, Dan Laidman, stated his father died of most cancers in a hospice facility in Simi Valley, Calif.
Laidman, who labored as a TV director throughout three a long time, was born in 1942 in Cleveland to a librarian mom and {an electrical} contractor father. In his youth, he spent three formative summers working with the legendary Kenley Gamers theater firm in Warren, Ohio, which hosted quite a few productions with big-name Broadway, movie and TV stars.
Laidman studied electrical engineering at Kent State College earlier than transferring to USC, the place he earned a level in cinema in 1964. Thereafter, he labored at KTTV and Lorimar Productions and graduated from the Administrators Guild of America Producer Coaching program. In 1975, he obtained his first directing task on The Waltons.
His most prolific directing contributions have been to sequence seventh Heaven, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, in addition to the aforementioned Matlock (33 episodes, per IMDb) and The Waltons (11 episodes). Laidman moreover helmed installments of Knight Rider, Eight is Sufficient, The Fitzpatricks, Household, Hawaii 5-O, The Unbelievable Hulk, Lou Grant, Knots Touchdown, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Falcon Crest, The Dukes of Hazzard, Airwolf, Quantum Leap, JAG and others.
Except for leisure, Laidman had a lifelong ardour for science and expertise, receiving his first newbie radio license at age 12. He later returned to high school to pursue a doctorate in training, finally spending time as a science instructor. From 2011 to final yr, he taught movie directing at California State College, Northridge.
A service is scheduled at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.
