| Barbara Avedon | |
| Birth Name: | Barbara Hammer |
| Birth Date: | 14 June 1925 |
| Birth Place: | New York, New York, USA |
| Death Place: | Palm Springs, California, USA |
| Spouse: | |
| Children: | Joshua Avedon |
| Occupation: | Television writer |
| Known For: | Creator of Cagney & Lacey with Barbara Corday Founder of Another Mother for Peace |
Barbara Avedon (June 14, 1925 - August 31, 1994)[1] was an American television writer, political activist,[2] and feminist.[3] She founded the anti-war organization Another Mother for Peace.
She was one of the writers for the television series Bewitched, and helped a group of Jefferson High School students write the episode "Sisters at Heart".[4] She also wrote for Executive Suite[5] and Fish, a 1977-78 spin-off from Barney Miller.[6] With Barbara Corday, Avedon created Cagney & Lacey, the world's first dramatic television series to place women in both of its starring roles.[7] They came up with the idea for this television series after having read Molly Haskell's book From Reverence to Rape which stated that there had never been a female buddy film.[8] Avedon and Corday initially intended Cagney & Lacey to be a film.[9] While they were writing the series together, Avedon was more experienced and proficient in screenwriting than Corday, and Avedon mentored Corday in this area throughout the series.[10] They were best friends for nearly a decade.[11]
Avedon married twice. Her first husband was Phil Sharp; they remained married until his death.[12] Her second husband was Mel Avedon; they had one child before the marriage was dissolved. Her son Joshua is a co-founder of Jumpstart, a not-for-profit that focuses on transforming the broader Jewish community through spirituality, learning, social activism, and culture, and the Jewish congregation IKAR.[13]