American screenwriter and producer Max Mutchnik was BOTD in 1965. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he was raised in Los Angeles and studied at Emerson College. He started his show business career writing for game show Good Advice and TV drama series The Wonder Years. He created and co-wrote the 1996 series Boston Common with creative partner David Kohan, which was cancelled after its second season. He and Kohan are best known as the creators of TV sitcom Will & Grace, an odd couple comedy about a straight-laced gay lawyer living with his terminally single straight female friend, based on Mutchnik’s college experiences with his female best friend. First launched in 1998, the series became stratospherically successful, praised for featuring gay characters in leading and largely positive roles. The role of Jack, Will’s camp out-of-work actor friend (played by Sean Hayes) polarised gay audiences, many of whom argued that the character regurgitated tired gay stereotypes. Less controversial was Megan Mullalley’s role as the sassy socialite Karen, who became an instant gay icon. Will and Grace ran for eight seasons until 2005, and was relaunched in 2017 as a comic riposte to the presidency of Donald Trump. Muchnik’s and Kohan’s subsequent shows Good Morning, Miami, Twins, Four Kings, Partners and Clipped were less successful, cancelled after their debut or second seasons. Openly gay since forever, Mutchnik is married to lawyer Erik Hyman, with whom he has two children, conceived via a surrogate mother.