| Christopher Keyser | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960 Long Island, New York |
Christopher Adam Keyser[1] (born 1960) is an American producer and writer of prime-time dramas. While Keyser is not a household name, his name usually is associated with prime-time, deep, down-to-earth drama.
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Keyser was born on Long Island, New York. He attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In college, he was among other things the president of the Harvard University Debate Council. Keyser became involved in theater during his last two years at Harvard College, appearing in a number of theatrical productions. He went on to Harvard Law School, from which he graduated with honors and received offers of employment from prestigious New York City law firms. During law school, however, Keyser's focus became more directed towards screenwriting; while there he met future writing partner Amy Lippman. While in New York City, Keyser and Lippman formed a writing partnership.
In 1988, Keyser and Lippman moved to Los Angeles, California and were signed on to write teleplays for L.A. Law and Equal Justice. because of their legal backgrounds they wrote teleplays for L.A. Law and Equal Justice. They finally had the honor of writing and producing the hit-show Sisters and Eddie Dodd from 1991-1996.
They established themselves as a real ace team in the TV business. The two hit big pay-dirt with the enormously successful Party of Five, a prime-time family-oriented soap-opera. The show featured the Salingers, a family suddenly orphaned when their parents are killed by a drunken man behind the wheel and the eldest son becomes the head of the family, the eldest daughter wants to write professionally, the youngest daughter is a musical prodigy who sleeps around (all over the house!) and their valiant efforts to keep the family together and the family restaurant business afloat. The show (and the entire family) deals with relationships and friction, romance, school, work, growing-up, life-and-death. Both Keyser and Lippman are credited as the creators, executive producers, and writers of the prime-time drama. The show lasted six seasons.
In 1996, the show took home the Golden Globe Award for "Best Drama Series." Keyser himself (along with Lipman) were the received the Humanitarias Prize (a mini-glass statuette and $15,000) for the episode "Thanksgiving", where the leads wound up confronting the mysterious drunk driver that was responsible for their parent's deaths. Lacey Chalbert took home some YoungStar Awards. The one and only Neve Campbell (who got her breakout role on the show) has referred to the show as "The most realistic show on television."
Eventually, the show's actors were discovered and big offers came pouring in and eventually the show came to an end. Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt went on to do movies, Chalbert currently juggles film and TV, Matthew Fox went onto other hit TV shows.
And the team of Keyser/Lippman are still developing TV programs such as Significant Others and Time of Your Life, a spin-off of "Party of Five" starring Love Hewitt's character Sarah leaving San Francisco in favor of New York and searching for the biological family she never even knew she had.
Keyser is not now, nor has ever been, married to his frequent producing/writing partner Amy Lippman. In righting this popular misconception, they have both joked that they are married - just not to each other. While he was in law school, Keyser re-connected with a high school friend, who was also attending law school at Boston University. Their relationship blossomed and they were married, living happily ever after. They have one daughter and one son and reside in Los Angeles, California.