Lee David Zlotoff is a producer, director and screenwriter best known as the creator of the TV series MacGyver. He started as a screenwriter for Hill Street Blues in 1981. He then became a producer of Remington Steele in 1982.Zlotoff created MacGyver, which ran on ABC between 1985 and 1992 and was sold throughout the world. He then produced the television series The Man from Snowy River (Australian title: Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River — American title: Snowy River: The McGregor Saga). The series was loosely based on the Banjo Patterson poem "The Man from Snowy River".He wrote and directed the 1996 film The Spitfire Grill, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.Zlotoff graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1970. He then went on to St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland.He contributes to Make magazine.At the 2008 Maker Faire, Zlotoff announced his interest in a MacGyver movie. Zlotoff said he had full control of the movie after obtaining the rights several years ago. He also has written two of the episodes for the TV series NCIS in season 3 and season 7 of the series.In 2010, a feature film version of the Saturday Night Live parody of MacGyver, MacGruber, prompted Zlotoff to send cease-and-desist letters and threaten further legal action.
Sundance Film Festival Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Christopher Award for Motion Pictures
TV Shows
MacGyver, Murphy's Law
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Quote
1
MacGyver wasn't cynical, and he wasn't ruthless. He didn't torture his adversaries to get information. Some media company did a poll about which fictional character people would prefer to have with them in a crisis or a natural disaster, and the overwhelming majority - like twenty percent more than the rest - said MacGyver, before names like Indiana Jones, Jack Bauer, James Bond, etc. I found that very illustrative.
2
To be quite honest, I can only claim a modest part in the whole MacGyver story. It's like when your child goes into the world and is wildly successful. You obviously played a crucial role and can be proud of that, but it's not really your achievement. It is mainly the achievement of the immensely talented people who spent their years and lives making MacGyver what he is today. Not to mention the literally billions of fans who embraced the character and have made him their own.
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Fact
1
Graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School.
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
MacGyver
2016-2017
TV Series based on the series 'MacGyver' created by - 22 episodes
NCIS
2005-2010
TV Series written by - 2 episodes
Just Cause
2002
TV Series writer - 1 episode
The Spitfire Grill
1996
written by
MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday
1994
TV Movie creator
MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis
1994
TV Movie creator
Age of Treason
1993
TV Movie
MacGyver
1985-1992
TV Series created by - 138 episodes
Plymouth
1991
TV Movie written by
Murphy's Law
TV Series created by - 12 episodes, 1988 - 1989 writer - 1 episode, 1988
Frank Nitti: The Enforcer
1988
TV Movie written by
Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace
1988
TV Movie written by
U.S. Marshals: Waco & Rhinehart
1987
TV Movie teleplay
Jack and Mike
1987
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Link
1986
story - as Lee Zlotoff
Remington Steele
1982-1983
TV Series written by - 7 episodes
Bret Maverick
TV Series 1 episode, 1981 story - 3 episodes, 1982 written by - 3 episodes, 1981 - 1982 teleplay - 1 episode, 1982
Hill Street Blues
1981
TV Series written by - 2 episodes
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
MacGyver
2016-2017
TV Series executive producer - 13 episodes
NCIS
2005
TV Series consulting producer - 6 episodes
Mercy Point
1998
TV Series executive producer
Age of Treason
1993
TV Movie executive producer
Snowy River: The McGregor Saga
1993
TV Series executive producer
Plymouth
1991
TV Movie executive producer
Frank Nitti: The Enforcer
1988
TV Movie producer
MacGyver
1985
TV Series producer
Remington Steele
1983
TV Series supervising producer - 19 episodes
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
Remington Steele
1982-1983
TV Series executive story consultant - 13 episodes
Bret Maverick
1981-1982
TV Series executive story consultant - 18 episodes