Tucker Wiard, Emmy-Winning Editor of ‘Murphy Brown’ and ‘The Carol Burnett Show,’ Dies at 80

Carson Burton

Tucker Wiard, who served as editor for TV series including “Murphy Brown,” “The Carol Burnett Show” and “The Scarlet Letter,” died on Aug 28 in Los Angeles after complications from heart failure. He was 80.

Throughout Wiard’s decades-long career, he won five primetime Emmys for editing. Wiard won for his work in editing the final episode of “The Carol Burnett Show” at CBS in 1978, the four-episode WGBH series “The Scarlet Letter” in 1979 and the television special “American Bandstand’s 30th Anniversary Special” in 1982. Two episodes of “Murphy Brown” — “Respect” and “On Another Plane” — also won Wiard primetime Emmys. He was nominated a total of 11 times.

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Among his other TV editing credits were “All in the Family,” “Good Times,” “Detective School,” “Steambath,” “Alice,” “Charles in Charge” and “Nikki.”

Wiard was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1941 and raised nearby in Lansing. After graduating from Michigan State University in 1962 with a major in radio and television, he joined the Army. During his time with the military, he served as a First Lieutenant, where he designed and built the studio and remote videotape department while serving at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Wiard’s career in Hollywood began when he moved to Los Angeles in 1968 to work in the videotape department at CBS. There, the editor found success on various television shows and projects. In 1992, Wiard was invited to join the American Cinema Editors organization. He also received two Eddy Award nominations from the group thanks to his work in “Murphy Brown.” Wiard retired from the industry in 2009.

Wiard is survived by his wife, “The Young and the Restless” producer Nancy Bradley Wiard, as well as his sister-in-law Mary Boteilho, brother-in-law James A. Bradley and three nephews: Jeffrey Banks, Alexander Bradley and Matthew Bradley.

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