Bill Prady


William Scott Prady is an American television writer and producer who has worked on American sitcoms and variety programs, including Married... with Children, Dream On, , Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men and Gilmore Girls and is the co-creator of The Big Bang Theory and The Muppets.

Biography

Born to a Jewish family, Prady graduated from Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He began his writing career in Canada with You Can't Do That on Television in the early 1980s and also wrote for the animated version of Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock.
Joining Henson, he was a production assistant on a TV special about the world of technology. Prady stayed with the company and worked in the merchandising department. With the encouragement of Jim Henson, Prady began writing working on projects from the 3-D movie to The Jim Henson Hour. During his tenure at The Muppets, he was visually caricatured as the puppet "Chip". In 1991, Prady was nominated for an Emmy award for co-writing the posthumous tribute to Jim Henson entitled "The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson". He wrote the Disney theme park attractions Muppet*Vision 3D and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.
On April 3, 2015, he co-wrote and sold a new version of Muppet Show with the working title The Muppets to ABC with Bob Kushell, who also served as show runner.
From 2007 to 2019, he was the executive producer and co-creator with Chuck Lorre of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

Educator

As of fall, 2012, Prady is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. He is also a Trustee of the Humanitas "New Voices" program.

Personal life

In 2003, he was one of 135 candidates who ran for Governor of California in the 2003 recall election, receiving 474 votes.
Prady was a Z80 programmer at The Small Computer Company.
In 2010, Prady was given honorary membership in the Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science. In 2013, Prady was awarded NASA's Exceptional Public Achievement Medal. In 2015, asteroid 8630 was designated 8630 Billprady in his honor.

Selected credits

YearAwardCategoryProgramResult
1989WGA AwardOutstanding Achievement: Variety, Musical, Award, Tribute or Special EventMiss Piggy’s Hollywood
1990WGA AwardOutstanding Achievement: Variety, Musical, Award, Tribute or Special Event Time Warner Presents the Earth Day Special
1991CableACE AwardOutstanding Achievement in Children's ProgrammingThe Presidential Inaugural Celebration for Children
1991WGA AwardOutstanding Achievement: Variety, Musical, Award, Tribute or Special EventThe Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
1991Emmy AwardOutstanding Writing in a Variety or Music ProgramThe Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
1996The People's Choice AwardsFavorite New Television Comedy SeriesCaroline in the City
1998The People's Choice AwardsFavorite New Television Comedy SeriesDharma & Greg
1998Golden Globe AwardBest Series: Musical or ComedyDharma & Greg
1999Golden Globe AwardBest Series: Musical or ComedyDharma & Greg
1999WGA AwardOutstanding Achievement: Comedy SeriesDharma & Greg
2009TCA AwardOutstanding Achievement in ComedyThe Big Bang Theory
2009Satellite AwardBest Television Series: Musical or ComedyThe Big Bang Theory
2010Golden Globe AwardBest Series: Musical or ComedyThe Big Bang Theory
2010The People's Choice AwardsFavorite Television Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2010TCA AwardOutstanding Achievement in ComedyThe Big Bang Theory
2011Emmy AwardOutstanding Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2011The People's Choice AwardsFavorite Television Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2011Producers Guild of America AwardOutstanding Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2011Critics' Choice Television AwardBest Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2012Satellite AwardBest Television Series: Musical or ComedyThe Big Bang Theory
2012TCA AwardOutstanding Achievement in ComedyThe Big Bang Theory
2012Monte-Carlo Television FestivalOutstanding International ProducerThe Big Bang Theory
2012Emmy AwardOutstanding Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2012Producers Guild of America AwardOutstanding Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2012Critics' Choice Television AwardBest Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2012Golden Globe AwardBest Series: Musical or ComedyThe Big Bang Theory
2013The People's Choice AwardsFavorite Television Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2013Critics' Choice Television AwardBest Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2013TCA AwardOutstanding Achievement in ComedyThe Big Bang Theory
2013Teen Choice AwardsChoice Award: Best ComedyThe Big Bang Theory
2013Monte-Carlo Television FestivalInternational TV Audience AwardThe Big Bang Theory
2013Emmy AwardOutstanding Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory
2013Golden Globe AwardBest Series: Musical or ComedyThe Big Bang Theory
2014The People's Choice AwardsFavorite Television Comedy SeriesThe Big Bang Theory