Stan Daniels

Stanley Edwin Daniels (July 31, 1934 – April 6, 2007) was a Canadian-American screenwriter, producer and director, who won eight Emmy Awards for his work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi.

Born in Toronto to Jewish parents involved in vaudeville, Daniels earned a bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Toronto, then began studying for a doctorate from Oxford University. His first television writing job was for The Dean Martin Show in 1965. There, he met his writing partner Ed. Weinberger.

Daniels' influence in comedy is noted by the joke setup credited to him ("Stan Daniels turn") wherein, "a character says something and then does an immediate 180-degree shift on what he just said," according to The Simpsons producer Al Jean. Daniels composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the 1976 musical So Long, 174th Street.

Daniels had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia for years, and he died of a heart attack in Encino, California.