The 2996 Project: I Am Honoring The Life of David Angell

"David Angell was unique among the comedy writers I've met. Like David himself, his humor was gentle and kind, yet deeply funny. He had a brilliant comedy mind, but more importantly he was a good man, and nice person."

-Bruce Rasmussen, Executive Producer, The Drew Carey Show


David Angell was a man of many talents, but his greatest talent might have been his ability to make others laugh. As a co-executive producer of the NBC series, "Frasier," he made his living by bringing laughter into the homes of millions of viewers each week, but not just with "Frasier," but also through the brilliance of the hit NBC shows, "Wings," which he co-created, and "Cheers," a show that earned him numerous Emmy awards. In total, David Angell received 8 Emmy awards for his work on "Cheers," Wings" and "Frasier."

David Lawrence Angell, was born in West Barrington, Rhode Island, on April 10th, 1946, he was the youngest of three children. In college he received a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Providence College. Upon graduation, he entered into the U.S. military, and served in the army at the Pentagon until 1972. After leaving military service, he moved to Boston, where he worked as a methods analyst at an engineering company, and then later he was employed at an insurance firm in Rhode Island. But comedy was calling his name, and in 1977 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy writing. One of his first scripts was sold for an episode of "Archie Bunker's Place," and in 1983 he joined "Cheers," as a staff writer. Eventually, David Angell became partners with Peter Casey and David Lee. By 2001, the trio's production company, Grub Street Productions, had been nominated for 37 Emmy Award nominations and collectively had won 24.


David Angell and his wife Lynn, shared an amazing love and enthusiasm for life. Together, they were well known for not just their kindness and humor, but also for their humanitarian efforts. The two gave of their time to many charities and built a library, for their favorite charity, "Hillsides," which is now named in Lynn Angell's honor. "Hillsides," is a residential facility located in Pasadena, California, for abused and neglected children. The Angells were also benefactors of the Boch Center. In life, the Angells fought passionately for many social causes, by writing their senators and congressmen on issues close to their hearts. Their tireless efforts for charitable causes, earned them the love and respect of their peers in the entertainment industry. After his death, the American Screenwriter's Association, created the "David Angell Humanitarian Award," in his honor. An award which is given to an individual in the entertainment industry, who contributes to global well being through their donations of time, expertise or other support, to improve the human condition.

So many remember the Angells as having one of those marriages, that you just know, was truly made in heaven.Their love story began at a beach party when a shy David Angel introduced himself to a woman he had seen in the crowd, a woman who captivated him, her name was Lynn Edwards. By all accounts, it was love at first sight for the couple, and two years later they were married. On her wedding day, Lynn's mother told her ,"It's taken you twenty-two years to become an angel." The Angells loved each other to an infinite degree, telling friends that neither would have wanted to live without the other one. Lynn Angell loved ice cream and children, and she enjoyed planning visits to New England, for she and her husband. It was a place they visited as much as possible. The Angells, were returning home from a summer long vacation in Cape Cod, where they had just attended a family wedding, and were overseeing the building of their future retirement home, when they were killed onboard American Airlines Flight 11, after it was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center, in New York, on September 11, 2001. They had just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary, less then a month earlier, on August 14th.

I never got the chance to meet David Angell, to tell him how much I enjoyed his work, and how much it enriched my life, but through researching his life, I came to feel as if we had been old friends. The Angells were rare people, who gave of themselves for the good of others. It was apparent, through the many memorials and tributes in their honor, that they were well loved on this earth. David Angell lives on every time you laugh at one of the marvelous shows he was a part of, and Lynn every time you see a child smile. Bringing joy, compassion and relief from the woes of life, is their legacy. The next time you find yourself laughing out loud at one of the marvelous shows that David Angell was a part of... remember David Angell and smile. Thank you, David and Lynn Angell, for sharing your lives with us.

Besides their many friends, and entertainment colleagues, David Angell is survived by a brother, the Most Reverend Kenneth A. Angell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, Vermont, and a sister, Claire Miller and her husband Bernard. Lynn Angell was survived by her mother, Marilyn Edwards, and her brother, Dr. Thomas Edwards, and his wife Rennie.

Hillsides Home For Children
940 Avenue 64, Pasadena, Ca 91105
(323) 255-9005

-OndineMonet
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