David Lawrence Angell (April 10, 1946 – September 11, 2001)[1] was an American screenwriter and television producer, known for his work in sitcoms. He won multiple Emmy Awards as a Cheers writer and as the creator and executive producer of the sitcoms Wings and Frasier with Peter Casey and David Lee. Heading home from their vacation on Cape Cod, Angell and his wife, Lynn, were killed aboard American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks.[2]
Angell moved to Los Angeles in 1977.[1] His first script was sold to the producers of the Annie Flynn series. Five years later, he sold his second script, for the sitcom Archie Bunker's Place. In 1983, he joined Cheers as a staff writer.[1] In 1985, Angell joined forces with Peter Casey and David Lee as Cheers supervising producers/writers.[1] The trio received 37 Emmy Award nominations and won 24 Emmy Awards, including the above-mentioned for Frasier. They also won an Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy for Cheers, in 1989, which Angell, Casey, Lee and the series' other producers shared, and an Outstanding Writing/Comedy Emmy for Cheers, which Angell received in 1984.[1] After working together as producers on Cheers, Angell, Casey and Lee formed Grub Street Productions. In 1990, they created and executive-produced the comedy series Wings.[1]
The names of David Angell and his wife are located on Panel N-1 of the National September 11 Memorial's North Pool, along with other passengers from Flight 11.
In 2004, The Angell Foundation of Los Angeles, California, awarded Providence College a gift of $2 million for the Smith Center for the Arts.[6]
The two-part episode of Frasier to air after the attacks, "Don Juan in Hell" airing on September 25, 2001, ended with the memorial tribute, "In loving memory of our friends Lynn and David Angell". In "Goodnight, Seattle", the series finale that aired May 13, 2004, Niles Crane and Daphne Moon's son was born, named David in tribute.[7]
At the National September 11 Memorial, Angell and his wife are memorialized at the North Pool, on Panel N-1, along with other passengers from Flight 11.[8]
^Bowen, Kit (September 14, 2001). "News commentator, "Frasier" producer among hijacking victims". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Writer-producer David Angell, one of the co-creators of the television series Frasier and Wings, was on board American Airlines Flight 11 with his wife, Lynn, headed from Boston to Los Angeles. This plane was the first to crash, striking the north tower of the World Trade Center.
