Biography
Larry Stewart spent most of his life in the entertainment industry and was most particularly aligned with television having begun his career in childhood playing the first Video Ranger in
Captain Video. He became a television director as an adult primarily during the 1970s, directing over 200 episodes of a wide assortment of series including
The Waltons,
The Bionic Woman, and
Fantasy Island. Stewart's most important contribution to Hollywood, however, has been as the founding president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) when it first separated from the New York-set National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) in 1977. Thanks to Stewart, the new organization was able see that the national Emmy awards were telecast from Hollywood where most television shows originated. After that victory, Stewart continued his campaign to make ATAS unique from its parent organization in order to meet the agendas and creative needs of the Hollywood television industry. After having devoted nearly two decades of service to ATAS, the organization rewarded him with the Syd Cassyd Founders Award in 1995 to show their appreciation. Stewart passed away on February 26, 1997, from a bacterial infection and heart failure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide