Lee Mendelson
Lee Mendelson is a third-generation San Franciscan, born March 24, 1933. He graduated from Stanford University in 1954 and served as a navigator in the United States Air Force from 1955 to 1957. He was a writer-producer-director at KPIX-TV in San Francisco from 1961 to 1963, where his series on the history of California won a coveted Peabody Award.
Along with Charles Schulz and animator Bill Melendez, Lee went on to produce 45 Peanuts prime-time specials, which won four more Emmys and one more Peabody and 15 other Emmy nominations. He was also the Executive Producer of four Peanuts animated feature films.
Lee produced 12 Garfield prime-time specials, which won four Emmys, as well as a 120-program series, Garfield and Friends. He also produced three Cathy animated specials, one of which won an Emmy.
Lee has produced 48 live action prime-time network specials, starring such hosts as Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Whoopi Goldberg, Telly Savalas, Bing Crosby, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly, Lee Marvin, Peter Falk, Henry Fonda, Flip Wilson, Woody Allen, Walter Cronkite and George C. Scott. Among these are two documentaries written by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley and America and Americans, the latter of which won two Emmys as Best Documentary of the year. Many of his productions feature environmental and American-reflective themes.
His first of four Peanuts movies (A Boy Named Charlie Brown) received an Oscar nomination for Best Musical Score and the Peanuts music has received four Grammy nominations.
Lee is the author of the book A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition, which was on the New York Times Bestseller List for eight weeks and sold over 200,000 copies, as well as two other books on Charles Schulz.
Lee was the lyricist for “Christmas Time Is Here,” (music by Vince Guaraldi for A Charlie Brown Christmas) which has become a Christmas standard. The music from the Peanuts shows has sold over 4 million albums, and has been performed by such artists as Vince Guaraldi, David Benoit, Wynton Marsalis, George Winston and Sarah MacLachlan.
Lee’s latest productions include: Born to Play Ball on Willie Mays; It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown! (Emmy winner) hosted by Kristen Bell for ABC TV; and a documentary on Famous American Firsts.
Lee is a longstanding member of the Television Academy, D.G.A., W.G.A., AMPAS and the Recording Academy.