Bob Broder, Legendary TV Agent Behind ‘Cheers,’ ‘Frasier’ & ‘The X-Files,’ Dies at 85 After Cancer Battle

Bob Broder, the influential television agent who helped package some of TV’s biggest hits including Cheers, Frasier, The X-Files, and Two and a Half Men, has died at 85. He passed away on Tuesday, September 23, surrounded by family after a battle with cancer, Deadline reported.

Broder co-founded The Broder Kurland Agency, which later became Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann before merging into ICM. Known as one of the foremost experts in TV packaging, he was behind series like The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The King of Queens, Mike & Molly, Dharma & Greg, and Touched by an Angel.

In 2012, longtime client Chuck Lorre tapped Broder to join his company, where he managed operations and continued attending tapings until the very end of his career.

Among his most notable successes was the iconic ’80s sitcom Cheers. Broder was such a fixture on set he was nicknamed “the mayor of Cheers” and even appeared in the series finale.

Respected for his direct style-earning him the nickname “Darth Broder”-he was also admired as an “innovative deal-maker” and mentor. He played a key role in labor negotiations between the writers’ guild and TV studios, leaving a lasting mark on the industry.

ICM agent Ted Chervin remembered him as “a real statesman” whose leadership “changed the game.”

Broder is survived by his wife, Cindy, daughter Julie, and son Greg.