Television Hall of Fame

The Television Academy Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to U.S. television. The hall of fame was founded by former Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) president John H. Mitchell (1921–1988). Inductions are not held every year.

Synopsis
The awards were inaugurated in 1984, in the words of the selection committee, the Hall of Fame is for "persons who have made outstanding contributions in the arts, sciences or management of television, based upon either cumulative contributions and achievements or a singular contribution or achievement." Mitchell remained the chair of the Hall of Fame until his death in January 1988. He was succeeded by Edgar Scherick, who in turn passed the reins to Norman Lear.

The first ceremony in 1984 celebrated the careers of Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, Paddy Chayefsky, Norman Lear, Edward R. Murrow, William S. Paley and David Sarnoff. The honorees received glass statuettes in the form of two ballet dancers that were created by sculptor and painter Pascal to reflect the self-discipline required in all facets of the arts. Since 1988, inductees have brought home an award in the form of a crystal television screen atop a cast-bronze base. The new awards were designed by art director Romain Johnston.

Inductions are not held every year. Five or more inductees are usually announced at a time. All inductees have been individuals or pairs, with the exceptions of the series I Love Lucy in 1990 and the entire original Saturday Night Live cast in 2017.

In 2016, the four broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC) were honored with special "Hall of Fame Cornerstone" Awards.

Bill Cosby was inducted in 1991, but following his 2018 conviction of rape, he has since been removed.

Hall of Fame inductees

 * 1st induction (1984)
 * Lucille Ball
 * Milton Berle
 * Paddy Chayefsky
 * Norman Lear
 * Edward R. Murrow
 * William S. Paley
 * David Sarnoff


 * 2nd induction (1985)
 * Carol Burnett
 * Sid Caesar
 * Walter Cronkite
 * Joyce Hall
 * Rod Serling
 * Ed Sullivan
 * Sylvester "Pat" Weaver


 * 3rd induction (1986)
 * Steve Allen
 * Fred Coe
 * Walt Disney
 * Jackie Gleason
 * Mary Tyler Moore
 * Frank Stanton
 * Burr Tillstrom


 * 4th induction (1987)
 * Johnny Carson
 * Jacques Cousteau
 * Leonard Goldenson
 * Jim Henson
 * Bob Hope
 * Ernie Kovacs
 * Eric Sevareid


 * 5th induction (1988)
 * Jack Benny
 * George Burns and Gracie Allen
 * Chet Huntley and David Brinkley
 * Red Skelton
 * David Susskind
 * David L. Wolper


 * 6th induction (1989)
 * Roone Arledge
 * Fred Astaire
 * Perry Como
 * Joan Ganz Cooney
 * Don Hewitt
 * Carroll O'Connor
 * Barbara Walters


 * 7th induction (1990)
 * Desi Arnaz
 * Leonard Bernstein
 * James Garner
 * I Love Lucy
 * Danny Thomas
 * Mike Wallace


 * 8th induction (1991)
 * Bill Cosby (revoked following his 2018 conviction of rape).
 * Andy Griffith
 * Ted Koppel
 * Sheldon Leonard
 * Dinah Shore
 * Ted Turner


 * 9th induction (1992)
 * John Chancellor
 * Dick Clark
 * Phil Donahue
 * Mark Goodson
 * Bob Newhart
 * Agnes Nixon
 * Jack Webb


 * 10th induction (1993)
 * Alan Alda
 * Howard Cosell
 * Barry Diller
 * Fred W. Friendly
 * William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
 * Oprah Winfrey


 * 11th induction (1995)
 * Michael Landon
 * Richard Levinson and William Link
 * Jim McKay
 * Bill Moyers
 * Dick Van Dyke
 * Betty White


 * 12th induction (1996)
 * Edward Asner
 * Steven Bochco
 * Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner
 * Charles Kuralt
 * Angela Lansbury
 * Aaron Spelling
 * Lew Wasserman


 * 13th induction (1997)
 * James L. Brooks
 * Garry Marshall
 * Quinn Martin
 * Diane Sawyer
 * Grant Tinker


 * 14th induction (1999)
 * Herbert Brodkin
 * Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer
 * Lorne Michaels
 * Carl Reiner
 * Fred Rogers
 * Fred Silverman
 * Ethel Winant


 * 15th induction (2002)
 * Tim Conway and Harvey Korman
 * John Frankenheimer
 * Bob Mackie
 * Jean Stapleton
 * Bud Yorkin


 * 16th induction (2004)
 * Bob Barker
 * Charles Cappleman, executive
 * Art Carney
 * Katie Couric
 * Dan Rather
 * Brandon Tartikoff


 * 17th induction (2006)
 * Tom Brokaw
 * James Burrows
 * Leonard Goldberg
 * Regis Philbin
 * William Shatner


 * 18th induction (2008)
 * Bea Arthur
 * Daniel Burke
 * Larry Gelbart
 * Merv Griffin
 * Thomas Murphy
 * Sherwood Schwartz


 * 19th induction (2010)
 * Candice Bergen
 * Charles Lisanby
 * Don Pardo
 * Gene Roddenberry
 * Smothers Brothers
 * Bob Stewart


 * 20th induction (2011)
 * Diahann Carroll
 * Tom Freston
 * Earle Hagen
 * Susan Harris
 * Peter Jennings
 * Cloris Leachman
 * Bill Todman


 * 21st induction (2012)
 * Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray
 * Michael Eisner
 * Sherman Hemsley
 * Bill Klages
 * Mario Kreutzberger
 * Chuck Lorre
 * Vivian Vance and William Frawley


 * 22nd induction (2013)
 * Philo Farnsworth
 * Ron Howard
 * Al Michaels
 * Leslie Moonves
 * Bob Schieffer
 * Dick Wolf


 * 23rd induction (2014)
 * Ray Dolby
 * David E. Kelley
 * Jay Leno
 * Julia Louis-Dreyfus
 * Rupert Murdoch
 * Brandon Stoddard


 * Cornerstone Award (2016)
 * ABC
 * CBS
 * FOX
 * NBC


 * 24th induction (2017)
 * Original Saturday Night Live cast: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner
 * Roy Christopher
 * Shonda Rhimes
 * Joan Rivers
 * John Wells


 * 25th induction (2020)
 * Bob Iger
 * Geraldine Laybourne
 * Seth MacFarlane
 * Jay Sandrich
 * Cicely Tyson


 * 26th induction (2022)
 * Debbie Allen
 * Ken Burns
 * Bob Daly
 * Robert L. Johnson
 * Rita Moreno
 * Donald A. Morgan, ASC