Born and raised in New York City to Jewish family, Ross graduated from City College of New York City in 1939. Ross then served as a bomber pilot in United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Ross, along with longtime business partner Bernie West, made his mark in the 1970s with the breakout TV sitcom
All in the Family, for which he won a writing Emmy in 1973. Ross first worked with
Norman Lear in the 1950s when Lear was the producer of NBC's short-lived (26 episodes) sitcom
The Martha Raye Show. After writing for Lear's
All in the Family, Ross wrote and served as executive producer for the spin-off
The Jeffersons. Ross later established the Michael and Irene Ross Chair in Hebrew and Yiddish and the Michael and Irene Ross Program in Jewish Studies at the
City University of New York in New York City. Ross also made a $3 million bequest and 25% share of his rights to all his shows to the
National Yiddish Book Center. Ross died May 26, 2009 due to complications following a stroke and heart attack. ==References==