Kent McCray

Kent McCray was an American television producer.

While attending Kimball Union Academy prep school in New Hampshire, McCray built sets, directed, acted, and sang in several school theatrical productions.

Three years after graduating from the University of Hartford, McCray began his television career at NBC in Los Angeles as a production coordinator on early television shows such as All Star Revue, The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Red Skelton Show, This Is Your Life, and You Bet Your Life starring Groucho Marx.

While working as a production manager on Bonanza, McCray and Michael Landon became close friends and collaborators, which lead to McCray’s position as associate producer of the pilot for Little House on the Prairie in 1974 (Landon was an executive producer and director on the show, as well as its star). When the pilot went to series, McCray would stay on as producer for the show’s nine-season run.

McCray and Landon would team up again as partners in Michael Landon Productions. The duo produced Highway to Heaven which ran from 1984 to 1989.

When Landon died in 1991, McCray produced the NBC special Michael Landon: Memories with Laughter and Love.

McCray died June 3, 2018, in Los Angeles, California. He was 89.