Drake Sather

Drake Sather
Born(1959-05-24)May 24, 1959
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
DiedMarch 3, 2004(2004-03-03) (aged 44)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
OccupationsScreenwriter, producer
Spouses
Krystal Sather
(m. 1989⁠–⁠1990)
Marnie Sather
(m. 1991)
Children4

Drake Sather (May 24, 1959 – March 3, 2004) was an American stand-up comedian, television writer, and producer best known for co-creating the character Derek Zoolander with Ben Stiller and co-writing the first Zoolander film with Stiller and John Hamburg. Sather also wrote for several TV shows, most notably seasons 2 through 5 of NewsRadio, where he also served as a producer. Sather also wrote for The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live, The Dennis Miller Show, Ed, Gary & Mike, and co-created the NBC adult animated series Sammy with David Spade as a vehicle for Spade.

Biography

Sather was born in Seattle, Washington, on May 24, 1959.

In 1994, Sather was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on The Larry Sanders Show.[1] Sather wrote for Saturday Night Live during the 1994–1995 season.[2] Sather created the character Derek Zoolander.[3] His last credit was an unsold pilot of a television remake of Mr. Ed, for which he also served as an executive producer.[4]

Sather was married to Krystal Ginger Hendricks from 1989–1990. He and Krystal had one child, Rudy.[5] On July 4, 1991, he married Marnie Stroud.[6] They remained married until his death. He and Marnie had three children: Dallas, Tristan, and Molly.[7]

At the time of his death, Sather and his wife were going through couples therapy; he had expressed frustration at his home life along with his current work (the aforementioned Mr. Ed). On March 3, 2004, after a heated therapy session saw him leave early, Sather called his wife and he died by suicide using a firearm.[8][9]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Writer Notes
2001 Zoolander Yes
2016 Zoolander 2 Yes Based on characters created by, Dedicated to

Television

Series

Year Title Creator Writer Producer Notes
1992 The Dennis Miller Show No Yes No
1993-1994 The Larry Sanders Show No Yes No
1994 Empty Nest No Yes No
1994-1995 Saturday Night Live No Yes No
1995-1999 NewsRadio No Yes Yes Also did voiceover as Mr. James's Lawyer (2 episodes)
1996 The Naked Truth No Yes No
1996 Saturday Night Special No Yes No
2000 Sammy Yes Yes Yes
2001 Gary & Mike No Yes Yes
2002-2003 Ed No Yes Yes
2004 Mr. Ed Yes Yes Yes Fox reboot of Mister Ed, Developed by

Standup Appearances

Year Title Notes
1986-1987 Late Night with David Letterman 3 episodes
1988 Star Search
1988-1990 An Evening at the Improv 2 episodes
1989 The 13th Annual Young Comedians Special
1991 Comics Only with Paul Provenza
1991 London Underground

Awards Shows

Year Title Writer Notes
1993 The 45th Primetime Emmy Awards Yes
1994 The 66th Academy Awards Yes Special material
The 46th Primetime Emmy Awards Yes
1995 1995 MTV Movie Awards Yes
1996 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards Yes Co-wrote the short "Derek Zoolander: Male Model" with Ben Stiller
1997 1997 VH1 Fashion Awards Yes Co-wrote the short "Derek Zoolander University" with Ben Stiller
1997 MTV Movie Awards Yes

References

  1. ^ "The Larry Sanders Show". emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 13, 2017. OUTSTANDING individual achievement in WRITING IN A COMEDY SERIES – 1994
  2. ^ Thompson, Alex (February 12, 2016). "Ben Stiller Opens Up About the Death That Delayed Zoolander 2 Nearly 15 Years". esquire.com. Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved November 13, 2017. ...and racking up writing credits at Saturday Night Live..
  3. ^ ""But Why Male Models?": An Oral History of Zoolander". Vanity Fair. September 30, 2021.
  4. ^ Variety Staff (March 16, 2004). "Drake Sather". variety.com. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved November 13, 2017. Sather's last credit was the upcoming TV comedy remake of "Mr. Ed," on which he was also an executive producer.
  5. ^ "Drake Sather". The Blog of Death. March 15, 2004.
  6. ^ "Drake Sather". IMDb.
  7. ^ Bal, Sumeet (March 19, 2004). "Pop Culture News Monitor". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 2, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  8. ^ "Who is Drake Sather?". June 21, 2016.
  9. ^ "Ben Stiller Opens up About the Death That Delayed 'Zoolander 2' Nearly 15 Years". February 12, 2016.