Prolific TV comedy writer Steve O’Donnell will receive a top honor from the Writer’s Guild of America East at its annual awards gala this year.
O’Donnell, a longtime former staffer of “Late Night with David Letterman,” will receive the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence at a Feb. 19 gala hosted by Lewis Black, the guild said Tuesday.
“The Sargent Award is awarded to a writer who embodies the spirit, commitment and comic genius of Mr. Sargent, as well as his dedication to mentoring new writers,” a statement read of the awards namesake, who served as president of the WGAE for 14 years.
O’Donnell started with Letterman in 1982 and was named his head writer a year later. He served in that position until 1992 when he moved with Letterman to CBS and remained with him until 1995. His famous sketches included the iconic recurring “Top 10 List,” “Calling Meg, the Office Worker in the Building Across the Street,” and “The NBC Bookmobile.”
He also worked on “Seinfeld” and “The Simpsons,” and wrote for a slew of eponymous comedy series like “The Chris Rock Show,” “The Dana Carvey Show,” “The Bonnie Hunt Show” and “Why? With Hannibal Buress.”
O’Donnell has been nominated for 16 Emmy awards.