Eric Gilliland

Eric Raymond Gilliland (March 28, 1962 – September 1, 2024) was an American television producer, writer, actor, and whistler.

Education Gilliland was born on March 28, 1962, in Glenview, Illinois. He graduated from Glenbrook South High School in Glenview in 1980 and from the School of Communication at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1984. He died from colon cancer on September 1, 2024 at the age of 62. His childhood friend Steven Levitan, a television producer and director, wrote that he and Gilliland enjoyed watching The Dick Van Dyke Show, Monty Python, Jack Benny, Carol Burnett, and Saturday Night Live beginning when they were in eighth grade, and that they started a pun club devoted to bad puns. Levitan credits Gilliland with getting him into working in television. "(Having) a job like that would have seemed completely unattainable to me if I hadn't known someone (Gilliland) who actually pulled it off. I guess I figured that if Eric was brave enough to take a chance like that (and find a career in entertainment), I should be too."

Credits Television Year Show Role Notes 1988–89 Who's the Boss? story editor, writer 1990–91 The Wonder Years writer 1992–96 Roseanne writer, co-producer (1992–93), supervising producer (1993–94), co-exec producer/exec producer (1995–96) Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, Writers Guild of America Award nomination 1998 That's Life creator 1998–99 Welcome to New York executive producer 2000 That '70s Show writer, consulting producer 2006–09 My Boys writer, consulting producer 2011 Mr. Sunshine writer, co-exec producer 2012 Downwardly Mobile co-creator, writer, exec producer Unsold pilot co-starring John Goodman 2018 The Who Was? Show writer

Film Year Film Role Notes 1992 Samantha actor: Hendricks starring Martha Plimpton 1994 Teresa's Tattoo actor: Police Officer directed by Julie Cypher 2004 Hair High voice actor: Spud directed by Bill Plympton 2006 Shortbus actor: Himself directed by John Cameron Mitchell 2006 The Ultimate Gift actor: Flight Attendant starring James Garner 2006 God Grew Tired of Us co-producer directed by Christopher Quinn

Music Gilliland was an accomplished whistler. His whistling appeared on Sam Winch's The Lullabadeer, a number of Sumack albums, and on the soundtrack of an episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!. He provided whistling accompaniment to Martha Plimpton's performance of "Thunder Road" on NPR's Studio 360.