After an early start as an actor (including an appearance in Blackboard Jungle), John Erman subsequently worked extensively as a casting director and eventually parlayed that experience to break into directing. In a notable career that spanned from the early sixties all the way into the 2000's, he earned an Emmy for Who Will Love My Children and Directors Guild of America Awards for Roots Part II and An Early Frost, the first prominent television movie on a major network to deal with AIDS, in addition to numerous nominations.
A string of early directing credits on series such as That Girl, Peyton Place, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and Family eventually lead to an illustrious career in TV movies and mini-series, including Green Eyes, Roots and Roots: The Next Generation, Eleanor, First Lady of the World, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Atlanta Child Murders, The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank, Carolina Skeletons, Alex Haley's Queen, Breathing Lessons, Scarlett, The Boys Next Door, The Sunshine Boys, Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke, Victoria & Albert, The Blackwater Lightship, and many more.
He transitioned again after retirement and spent the last few years teaching theater and film appreciation at Fordham and NYU.
John Erman passed away in New York on June 25, 2021 after a brief illness. He is survived by his husband Richard Blair.
