Theodore J. Flicker was a writer and director known for his work on several popular television series, including the police comedy Barney Miller, which he co-created.

The New Jersey native attended the Admiral Farragut Academy in his home state, followed by two years of study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

In 1954, after returning to the U.S., he joined the Compass Theater in Chicago, known for such members as Elaine May and Mike Nichols. He later performed with the Compass Players in St. Louis.

By 1959 he was on Broadway with The Nervous Set, a musical he directed and for which he also wrote the book. The following year, he created The Premise, a stage production at The Bleecker Street Theater in downtown Manhattan. The show’s success led to a production in London, as well as The Premise in Living Color, which tackled racial topics and featured an African-American cast that included Godfrey Cambridge and Al Freeman, Jr.

He broke into movies in 1964 with The Troublemaker, a comedy he directed and co-wrote with former Premise colleague Buck Henry. His later film credits included The President’s Analyst and Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang.

Flicker began directing television in the 1960s with episodes of such programs as The Bill Dana Show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Andy Griffith Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show. He began writing for TV as well, and over the years his other credits included I Dream of Jeannie, Night Gallery, The Mod Squad, Banacek and The Streets of San Francisco.

Barney Miller proved to be his most enduring success. The show, which starred Hal Linden as the titular captain of a New York City police precinct, premiered on ABC in 1975 and ran until 1982.

After retiring from television, Flicker settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he became a prolific sculptor.

Flicker died September 12, 2014, in Santa Fe. He was 84.

Photograph by Elliott McDowell © 2014.