| PJ Torokvei | |
| Birth Name: | Peter Torokvei |
| Birth Date: | 19 March 1951 |
| Occupation: | Actor, writer, producer |
| Years Active: | 1977-1995 |
PJ Torokvei (born Peter Torokvei; March 19, 1951 – July 3, 2013) was a Canadian screenwriter, actor, and television producer. A trans woman, her professional credits are generally under her deadname. In 2001, she announced to friends and family her intention to transition from her original sex at birth and undergo sex reassignment surgery.[1]
Torokvei was involved with both The Second City and SCTV.[2] Her notable works in film include the screenplays for Real Genius, Armed and Dangerous, Back to School and Guarding Tess. Her most notable work for television was as a producer and head writer on WKRP in Cincinnati.[1] She appeared in and wrote for various television shows and films from the 1970s through the 1990s. She died at home from liver failure on July 3, 2013, at the age of 62.
In 1977 Torokvei joined the Toronto branch of Second City, where she met writer/performer Steven Kampmann and Martin Short. Torokvei, Kampmann, and Short collaborated on a short comedy film called The Cisco Kid, which involved dubbing comic dialogue and sound effects onto an older western (much like Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily?). The film was later broadcast on Canadian TV as an "extra" episode on SCTV. In 1979, Kampmann and Torokvei went to Los Angeles after The Cisco Kid came to the attention of Hugh Wilson, who invited them to come in and pitch WKRP script ideas. Torokvei would eventually become head writer and stay until near the end of the final season. Many of the show's most memorable and imaginative episodes, including "Real Families," "Daydreams," and "Rumors" were written by Torokvei.
In both 1981 and 1982, Torokvei (as Peter Torokvei) was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards in her role as producer on WKRP in Cincinnati.[3] She is often cited as one of the first transgender people to be nominated for an Emmy.