Tom Cherones, who directed and produced 81 of the first 86 episodes of the sitcom Seinfeld, has died at age 86. He passed away on January 5 at his home in Florence, Oregon, from Alzheimer’s disease. Cherones played a key role in shaping the show’s early visual style and earned multiple awards for his contributions.
Tom Cherones, born on September 11, 1939, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, built a distinguished career in television production and direction. After graduating from the University of New Mexico with a journalism degree in 1961 and serving as a U.S. Navy officer until 1965, he earned a master’s in broadcast and film communications from the University of Alabama in 1967. Early in his career, Cherones worked on programs at PBS affiliates, including productions for “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” at WQED in Pittsburgh.
In 1975, he relocated to Los Angeles, serving as a production manager on shows like “General Hospital” and “Welcome Back, Kotter.” As an independent producer, he collaborated with studios such as Warner Bros., ABC, CBS, and Paramount. In 1980, he wrote and produced the feature-length film “Two of Hearts” for cable and public television. His extensive credits also encompass episodes of “Caroline in the City,” “NewsRadio,” “Ellen,” “Boston Common,” “Growing Pains,” “Ladies Man,” “The Pitts,” and “Desperate Housewives.” Later, he returned to the University of Alabama to teach television production pro bono for 12 years.
Cherones joined “Seinfeld” for its second episode, “The Stakeout,” which aired in May 1990, and helmed 81 of the first 86 episodes over the show’s initial five seasons. Renowned for his Hawaiian shirts on set, he innovated multi-camera techniques to give the sitcom a cinematic feel, directing experimental installments like “The Chinese Restaurant,” “The Parking Garage,” and “The Contest.” He made a cameo in the fourth-season episode “The Pilot,” portraying the director who declares, “gonna rip that little guy [Jason Alexander’s George Costanza] a new one.”
For his work on “Seinfeld,” Cherones garnered six Emmy nominations and, in 1993, shared the outstanding comedy series award with creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, among others. He also received a Directors Guild of America Award and a Golden Globe. Cherones was first married to Bobby Cherones, with whom he had two children, and later to Joyce Keener, who died in 2006. He is survived by his wife, Carol E. Richards; daughter Susan Cherones Lee and her husband Daniel; son Scott Cherones and his wife Linda; and grandchildren Jessa and Thomas Cherones, along with several siblings-in-law, nieces, and nephews.
