Leon Tokatyan

Television writer Leon Tokatyan penned episodes for the popular and critically acclaimed television drama Lou Grant (1977-1981), including its pilot episode. The show was a spin-off of the long-running sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) and centered on the exploits of Edward Asner as the TV news producer-turned-editor of a large L.A. newspaper. Over the show's run, Tokatyan won a Writers Guild of America Award for the episode "Vet" in which a combat photographer from the Vietnam War suffers post-traumatic stress disorder. Tokatyan's work also earned him the Humanitas award for affirming humanitarian values with his television writing. Tokatyan also wrote for The Virginian, Espionage, and Kraft Suspense Theater. Before becoming a writer, Tokatyan had been a tour guide for the NBC network's New York facility. Tokatyan passed away on May 13, 1997, at the age of 73.