Chuck Lorre (born October 18, 1952) is a writer, director, producer and composer who has created many American sitcoms, including Grace Under Fire, Cybill, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory. Lorre also serves as executive producer of the sitcom Mike&Molly which premiered on CBS in September 2010.
He wrote Deborah Harry's radio hit single "French Kissin' in the USA" for the 1986 Rockbird album.
Born as Charles Michael Levine is divorced and has two children.
Lorre attended State University of New York at Potsdam, but dropped out after two years.After leaving school, he toured the United States as a guitarist and songwriter. By 1986, Lorre changed his focus to television.
On March 12, 2009, Lorre received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On May 17, 2009, Lorre received an Honorary Doctoral Degree for Humane Letters from the State University of New York at Potsdam and gave a keynote address at the graduation.
At the end of every episode of Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and Mike&Molly, Lorre features a vanity card consisting of a message that usually reads like an editorial, essay, or observation on life. Because the card is shown for only a few seconds at most, the viewer who wants to read it likely would have to do so via playback and pause. Lorre also posts his vanity cards on his website, ChuckLorre.com. CBS has censored Lorre's vanity cards on several separate occasions. The uncensored cards can be found on his website. The production card used on Grace under Fire and Cybill featured a wooden desk with a Mac.
Lorre's first produced show as creator was the popular ABC sitcom Grace Under Fire. It premiered on ABC in 1993, and gained a large viewer base. The show was nominated in 1995 for the Golden Globe Award for Best TV series (Musical or Comedy).
Cybill
Lorre's next project was the sitcom Cybill. The show aired for four seasons on CBS and received critical acclaim, winning an Emmy in 1995: Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy series for co-star Christine Baranski and 2 Golden Globe Awards in 1996: Best TV series (Musical or Comedy) and Best Actress in a TV series (Musical or Comedy).
Two and a Half Men
At the time of writing, Two and a Half Men is in it's eight season and has produced 168 episodes. This program focuses on two brothers, one of whom, "Charlie" (Charlie Sheen), is rich and owns a big house, while the other, "Alan" (Jon Cryer), is having to live in his brother's big Malibu house. Alan also has a son, "Jake" (Angus T. Jones) who comes to visit the brothers on weekends. Season 9 has been confirmed so the show will last until 2012 at least.
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory follows two young men living next door to an attractive young woman. Each episode usually focuses on the daily lives of the men and two of their friends, with a dose of absurdity from the relationship with their normal neighbor. The show is known for its ability to relate an obscure scientific theory with a common every-day occurrence, while at the same time illustrating the vast differences between the nerds and the girl. The two protagonists, Sheldon and Leonard, are named for the famous actor and television producer Sheldon Leonard.
Show crossovers
The Big Bang Theory has cast several actors from Chuck's past, starting with Johnny Galecki from Roseanne (he was Darlene's boyfriend and later husband). Sara Gilbert, who played by Darlene on Roseanne, was Leslie Winkle on 'Big Bang. Laurie Metcalf, who played Jackie in Roseanne, plays Sheldon's mother Mary. Christine Baranski, Emmy Award winner on Cybill, was cast as Leonard's mother.
Also on The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon, Leonard and Penny are seen watching Oshikuru: Demon Samurai. Oshikuru was the show Charlie wrote the theme song for on Two and a Half Men. However, the placement of Big Bang in relation to Two and a Half Men is muddied by the appearance of Charlie Sheen, seemingly as himself, in the Big Bang episode "The Griffin Equivalency".
Music
Lorre won the BMI Television Music Awards in 2004, 2005, and 2008 for Two and a Half Men. He also composed the soundtrack to the 1987 television series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Dennis Challen Brown.
Charity
Chuck Lorre has been a long-time contributor to the Venice Family Clinic. In 1999, he established the Dharma/Grace Foundation where he insisted that the foundation directly benefit the people for whom the money was intended. On February 10, 2002, Lorre was honored with the Silver Circle Humanitarian Award.
