Dan E. Weisburd

1933 - 2019

On November 4, 2019, Dan E. Weisburd of Toluca Lake, California, passed away, one day before his 86th birthday.  Born November 5, 1933 in Minnesota, Dan moved to Los Angeles in the late 1940s with his parents Max and Shirley, and his younger brother Sherman.  Graduating from Dorsey High in 1951, Dan went on to earn his B.A. in film from UCLA in 1955.  After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Dan began his career as a writer, producer and director.  He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 1968 documentary A Way Out of the Wilderness; co-created The Most Important Person, which aired in the 1970s on the Captain Kangaroo Show; and was a writer for television shows, including Laverne & Shirley, Trapper John MD, and From Here To Eternity.  After his son David's life was derailed by schizophrenia, Dan spent years working in public service on mental health issues, publishing CAMI's The Journal; serving as Chairman for Lt. Governor Leo McCarthy's Task Force for the Seriously Mentally Ill, which led to the passage of AB 377 and the creation of Integrated Service Agencies in California; and producing and directing Another Kind of Valor, a series of docudramas focused on the challenges faced by returning veterans and their families.  Earlier this year, Dan lost his wife of 59 years Elaine, and his son David, to cancer.  Dan is survived by his children Steven Weisburd and Elizabeth Buck; his brother-in-law Warren; his nephew Andrew Aaron Weisburd; and his grandchildren Diana and Emily Buck, and Audrey Weisburd.