Tim O'Donnell

Tim O'Donnell died on 27 July 2026 at his home in Glendale, California, after a battle with bladder cancer. He was 77. His death was not widely reported at the time; his wife, Cara O'Donnell, confirmed it to The Hollywood Reporter, which published his obituary on 18 October 2026, and the Writers Guild of America listed him in its In Memoriam pages.

The guild arranged a memorial for him at 2 p.m. on 25 October 2026 at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, to be live-streamed as well.

Timothy J. O'Donnell was born on 28 October 1948, according to the Writers Guild of America. He grew up in the Los Angeles area and was educated at Dominguez Seminary, Carson High School and Loyola University.

Little else has been published about his childhood or family background.

O'Donnell started out in news. At WBBM in Chicago he served as editorial director, writing the station's editorials and winning two local Emmy Awards for his commentary. He then moved to KNX and KCBS radio in Los Angeles, where he wrote and produced news segments for anchors such as Jess Marlow and Bill Stout.

The Hollywood Reporter wrote that he saw a story in everything and humour in most of it. In 1982 and 1983 he received writing credit on five episodes of Gloria, the single-season All in the Family spinoff starring Sally Struthers, and he also wrote episodes of Diff'rent Strokes and Just the Ten of Us. In 1986 he left news to join ABC's Growing Pains, starring Alan Thicke, as a writer and producer for four seasons through 1990.

He developed the 1990 to 1991 CBS comedy Uncle Buck, based on the John Hughes film, and in 1992 signed a deal with Paramount Television. With Richard Gurman he co-created the ABC sitcom Home Free, which starred Matthew Perry shortly before Friends, and made his directing debut on it. From 1995 to 1997 he was a writer, producer and director on CBS's Dave's World, starring Harry Anderson, and from 1997 to 1999 he wrote, directed and produced two seasons of Clueless, the ABC and later UPN series based on the 1995 film, with Rachel Blanchard as Cher Horowitz.

He was an executive producer on the 1997 sitcom Arsenio, wrote episodes of The Mommies and Whoopi, and from 2004 to 2005 wrote, directed and produced on the Disney Channel comedy Phil of the Future. His directing credits also included The Amanda Show, Shasta McNasty, Lizzie McGuire, Flight 29 Down, Melissa and Joey and the web series Woke Up Dead.

O'Donnell served on two Writers Guild of America negotiating committees. He also travelled to Russia, China and other countries to train local writers and directors in the art of the American sitcom.

O'Donnell was married to Cara O'Donnell for nearly 39 years. They had four children, Shannon, Carrie, Violet and Kit, and four granddaughters, Daphne, Vivienne, Leia and Bridget. He lived in Glendale, California.

Colleagues knew him for a wicked sense of humour. The television columnist Brian Lowry said he was one of those people who knew everyone and was always twice as funny offscreen as he was on it.

O'Donnell's career traced a path through American television comedy, from the family sitcoms of the 1980s such as Growing Pains to the teen and children's comedies of the 2000s on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Able to write, produce and direct, he was one of the steady hands behind a long list of network and cable comedies.

His work for the Writers Guild of America on two contract negotiating committees, and his teaching of sitcom craft to writers and directors abroad, extended his influence beyond the shows that carried his name.