Alan "Buz" Kohan (born August 9, 1933) is an American
television writer, producer and composer.[1]
Early life
Kohan was born to a
Jewish family[2] in the
Bronx, New York City,[3] the son of Charles (b. 1902) and May Kohan.[3] His father was in the
leotard business and his mother was a housewife.[3]
As a writer, he wrote special material for Night of One Hundred Stars, produced at
Radio City Music Hall, New York City in 1982, and also (with
Marvin Hamlisch, Christopher Adler, and
Larry Grossman) Shirley MacLaine on Broadway, produced at
Gershwin Theatre, New York City, in 1984. He wrote songs with (and for) his dear friend singer-entertainer
Michael Jackson, such as "You Were There" (a tribute to Sammy Davis Jr. sung by Jackson), "
Gone Too Soon" (written during the early '80s, recorded later for Jackson's
Dangerous album released in 1991 as a tribute to Ryan White), "Scared of the Moon" (a rare song from 1984, sung by Michael Jackson, released in 2004 by Sony Music), and "Make a Wish," a never-heard song written by Kohan and sung by Jackson, for the Steven Spielberg version of Peter Pan, Hook. He also co-wrote the Christmas classic "
Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" for
David Bowie and
Bing Crosby.[5]
Personal life
Kohan met his wife
Rhea Arnold when she was working in
Lake George, New York.[4] They married on July 17, 1962, and they have three children together: Jono,
David Kohan (who are twins), and
Jenji Kohan. As Rhea Kohan, his wife has published the novels Save Me a Seat (Harper & Row, 1979) and Hand-Me-Downs (Random House, 1980).
He and his children David and Jenji have all won Emmys, making them one of just 15 families with parents and children who have won.[6]