Emmy-winning ‘Seinfeld’ director, Tom Cherones, dead aged 86
Tom Cherones, the Emmy-winning director and producer who worked on 81 of the first 86 episodes of Seinfeld, has passed away at the age of 86.
Cherones passed away on January 5th at his home in Florence, Oregon, after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. A family spokesperson shared the news.
Cherones was born in 1939 in Tuscaloosa and graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He also gained a master’s degree and served four years as a lieutenant in the United States Navy.
After moving to Hollywood in 1975, he landed his first job in the industry as a production manager for General Hospital.
His first stint as a television director was for the 1986 ‘Babes in the Woods’ episode of the CBS comedy, My Sister Sam.
In 1990, Cherones began working on Seinfeld as a director and producer, overseeing 85 episodes across the first five seasons. His work on the show was highly-praised, earning him a DGA award, specifically for an episode titled ‘The Contest’ which aired in 1993.
He even appeared on camera, just once, during the fourth-season episode, ‘The Pilot’. During his surprise appearance, his character grumbles that he was “Going to rip that little guy [Jason Alexander’s George Costanza] a new one.”
Outside of Seinfeld, which he left after five seasons, Cherones also directed 56 episodes of NewsRadio, and also worked on Welcome Back Kotter, Caroline in the City, Annie McGuire and Ellen.
In 2012, Cherones published his first novel, The Hardly Boys, which read as a parody of the old Hardy Boys books. He also returned to the University of Alabama, where he taught a class in Television Production pro bono for 12 years.
He is survived by his third wife, Carol; his daughter, Susan, and her husband, Daniel; his son, Scott, and his wife, Linda; and his grandchildren, Jessa and Thomas.
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