Los Angeles

Emmy-winning producer and director Tom Cherones, best known for his work on Seinfeld, has passed away at the age of 86, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease at his home in Florence, Oregon.

Cherones directed and produced 85 episodes of Seinfeld, including the second episode, The Stakeout (1990), and won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993, sharing the award with Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. He also made a brief on-screen appearance in the show’s fourth episode, The Pilot.

Born on September 11, 1939, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Cherones earned a journalism degree from the University of New Mexico and a master’s in telecommunications from the University of Alabama. He served four years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy before beginning his career in educational television at WQED, Pittsburgh, and later moving to Hollywood, where he became a production manager for General Hospital.

ALSO READ: Mahmud Akram: the boy who knows 400 languages

Cherones’ other directorial credits include NewsRadio, Welcome Back Kotter, Caroline in the City, Annie McGuire, and Ellen. He left Seinfeld after its fifth season, noting in an interview that the show’s creators sought fresh perspectives to keep the series vibrant.