Brandon Stoddard Dead at 77, Known as "Father of the Miniseries"

Brandon Stoddard

Former ABC network executive Brandon Stoddard died at his home in Bel-Air on Monday following a long battle with cancer. He was 77.

Stoddard joined ABC in 1970 as its director of daytime programs and then moved on to various positions at the network until he was named president in 1985, a post he held until 1989. Celebrated as the "father of the miniseries," he developed multi-episode shows that were usually ratings grabbers. In addition to Roots and The Winds of War, they included The Thorn Birds, Rich Man, Poor Man, Masada, East of Eden, Roots: The Next Generation and North and South.