Harvey Laidman Dies: ‘The Waltons’ And ‘Matlock’ Director Was 82

Harvey Laidman, a veteran television director who helmed episodes of such shows like The Waltons, Matlock and Magnum P.I., died Jan. 3 at the age of 82.

Per previous reporting by The Hollywood Reporter, his son, Dan Laidman, said his father died of cancer in a hospice facility in Simi Valley, Calif.

Laidman, who worked as a TV director across three decades, was born in 1942 in Cleveland to a librarian mother and an electrical contractor father. In his youth, he spent three formative summers working with the legendary Kenley Players theater company in Warren, Ohio, which hosted numerous productions with big-name Broadway, film and TV stars.

Laidman studied electrical engineering at Kent State University before transferring to USC, where he earned a degree in cinema in 1964. Thereafter, he worked at KTTV and Lorimar Productions and graduated from the Directors Guild of America Producer Training program. In 1975, he got his first directing assignment on The Waltons.

His most prolific directing contributions were to series 7th Heaven, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, as well as the aforementioned Matlock (33 episodes, per IMDb) and The Waltons (11 episodes). Laidman additionally helmed installments of Knight Rider, Eight is Enough, The Fitzpatricks, Family, Hawaii Five-O, The Incredible Hulk, Lou Grant, Knots Landing, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Falcon Crest, The Dukes of Hazzard, Airwolf, Quantum Leap, JAG and others.

Aside from entertainment, Laidman had a lifelong passion for science and technology, receiving his first amateur radio license at age 12. He later returned to school to pursue a doctorate in education, eventually spending time as a science teacher. From 2011 to last year, he taught film directing at California State University, Northridge.

A service is scheduled at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.