Noam Pitlik

Publish date: 2024-02-17

Prominent television director Noam Pitlik, who went from acting in such TV shows as “Hogan’s Heroes” to directing such notable TV shows as “Barney Miller” for which he won an Emmy, died Feb. 18 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following a yearlong battle with lung cancer. He was 66.

Pitlik, a familiar face on TV series and commercials during the 1960s and ’70s, had a recurring role as Mr. Gianelli on “The Bob Newhart Show” and also portrayed several Nazi officers on “Hogan’s Heroes.”

He essayed multiple roles on “Bewitched,” “Sanford & Son,” “Gunsmoke,” “The Fugitive,” “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Love American Style.”

He had several character actor roles in films such as “The Front Page,” “The Fortune Cookie,” “The Graduate,” “The Greatest Story Ever Told” and “A Child is Waiting.”

Pitlik recently returned to acting following a 25-year absence as Mr. Schmalen in the new Ted Danson series “Becker.”

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As a TV director, Pitlik garnered an Emmy during the 1977-78 season for best single episode of “Barney Miller,” a series in which he helmed more 100 episodes. He also received the DGA award and the George Foster Peabody Award for broadcasting for his work on “Barney Miller.”

Additionally, Pitlik directed more than 200 episodes and pilots for primetime television including “Taxi,” “Wings,” “One Day at a Time,” “Mr. Belvedere” and “Home Court.”

He is survived by his wife Susan Whittaker Pitlik; a brother, Hillel; two stepchildren; a cousin; and seven nieces and nephews.

Plans for a memorial celebration were incomplete.

Family suggests donations in Pitlik’s name be made to A Place Called Home in Los Angeles, or the Second Harvest in Chicago, Illinois.

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