Ben Starr

Benjamin Starr (October 18, 1921 – January 19, 2014) was an American television producer, creator, writer and playwright.

Biography Born in Manhattan, New York, to Jewish Russian immigrants, Starr grew up in Brooklyn and worked in his parents' doughnut factory. He attended City College, later graduated from UCLA, and served in World War II.

After the military, he began writing comedy for radio stars, such as Al Jolson, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and George Burns. He started his television writing career for the live program Climax!.

Starr also co-wrote the screenplays for the 1966 James Bond parody Our Man Flint, the 1966 Western satire Texas Across the River and the animated versions of Treasure Island (1972) and Oliver Twist (1974). He also wrote plays, including Broadway's The Family Way in 1965. The 2012 documentary Lunch featured Starr, along with Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner and other career comedy writers and performers who reflected on the genre and the industry. At age 92, Starr died of congestive heart failure in 2014 at his home in Los Angeles.