BEVERLY HILLS—On Tuesday, December 9, a number of iconic and legendary performers will be honored for their longtime contributions to television. On Tuesday evening, these performers will be inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame for their many lasting contributions to the small screen. The six new additions join a cast of over 100 others who have been honored with Hall of Fame inductions over the last 24 years. The induction ceremony, which will take place at the Beverly Hills Hotel, will honor stellar performers Merv Griffin, Bea Arthur, Larry Gelbart, Sherwood Schwartz, Daniel B. Burke and Thomas Murphy. All of these performers have obtained storied accomplishments in the world of television.

The host for the ceremony will be James Denton, of "Desperate Housewives" fame. Other storied guests will be in attendance, including Angela Lansbury, Robert Iger and Dawn Wells, in addition to other well-known names. In order to be inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, candidates first had to be submitted to the Hall of Fame Selection for Committee. These nominations came from both "the industry at large" and members of the Television Academy. Some of this year's voting members included Fred Silverman, Brian Graden, Courteney Cox-Arquette and Mark Itkin, the Committee Chairman.

Short biographies on all six of the future Hall of Fame members were included on the official press release. Icon Merv Griffin is honored for his service as "an innovative television force for nearly half a century, hosting [a] syndicated talk show for 23 years and making history with the creation of the game shows that would become the two top-rated syndicated series of all time, 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy!'" Beau Arthur is remembered as "a two-time Emmy(r) Award- and Tony Award-winning comedienne, actress and singer," while Larry Gelbert is described as "a prolific comedy writer with more than 60 years of credits... [who] began his career in the 1940s as a radio writer for Danny Thomas, then later Jack Paar and Bob Hope. In the 1950s, Gelbart turned his comedy writing talents to Sid Caesar and television, teaming with Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen and Carl Reiner."

Sherwood Schwartz is credited as gifting the world with the memorable theme songs to the television shows "The Brady Bunch" and "Gilligan's Island," in addition to his long work as "a writer-producer who has been involved with more than 700 television shows, including two of the most enduring series, 'Gilligan's Island' (1964-1967) and 'The Brady Bunch' (1969-1974)." Daniel B. Burke and Thomas Murphy are credited with taking care more of the business end of television, rather than working in front of the screen. Burke is remembered for his time as "president of Capital Cities Communications for 18 years and CEO of Capital Cities/ABC" and for his philanthropic involvement. Burke worked successfully with Murphy, overseeing "day-to-day operations, while Murphy concentrated on strategy. As a top executive at ABC News, Burke was credited with strengthening the division's domestic and overseas bureaus, contributing to the success of '20/20' and 'Nightline,' and taking part in the effort to successfully lure away David Brinkley from NBC and Diane Sawyer from CBS."  Thomas Murphy is honored for his work as a former CEO and chairman of Capital Cities/ABC, and is still "highly regarded in the business world for his acumen in the broadcast and publishing industries," having eventually built "Capital Cities Communications into one of the country's leading media companies." A longtime advocate of restoring "public trust" in the broadcasting business, Murphy will be honored for his long and esteemed record of serving the television industry and the broadcast industry in general, with talent and class.