Jerry Thorpe was an executive at Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's Desilu Productions and a co-creator, director and producer on the David Carradine adventure series Kung Fu.

During his four-decade career, Los Angeles native also worked on David Janssen's Harry O; Our House, starring Wilford Brimley; and the longtime Jane Wyman CBS primetime soap Falcon Crest.

Jerry Thorpe directed episodes of the Desilu comedy December Bride starting in 1954 and served as an associate producer on the 1956 feature Forever, Darling, starring Ball and Arnaz. In 1957, he went to work on The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, helming the pilot episode, and directed and produced for Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse.

Thorpe eventually rose to head of production at Desilu and produced the second season of the company's acclaimed cop drama The Untouchables.

Thorpe is credited (with Ed Spielman and Herman Miller) as a co-creator on Kung Fu. He worked on all three seasons of the 1972-75 ABC drama, executive producing or producing 63 episodes and directing another 10. He was nominated for Emmys three times and won for helming a 1972 installment.