by Sandra Brennan
biography
One of television's more prolific directors, E.W. Swackhamer helmed over 25 television pilots, 18 of which became successful series, including Quincy and Eight Is Enough. He also directed numerous miniseries, telefilms, and episodes from a wide variety of series ranging from Bewitched to M*A*S*H to Murder, She Wrote. His movie credits include Bill Cosby's debut feature, Man and Boy (1972). Before becoming a director, Swackhamer worked on Broadway as a stage manager and occasional actor. In late 1994, Swackhamer was on location in Berlin shooting for the television film High Command when he died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm.
