Andrew McCullough was born in Flushing, New York, to Frank and Hazeltine McCullough, and his early life was marked by a series of moves, including a brief stint in Boston before settling in Great Neck, Long Island. Despite his young age, McCullough demonstrated a remarkable sense of maturity and determination, as he entered Harvard University at just 16 years old.
Before completing his studies, McCullough interrupted his academic pursuits to serve in World War II, where he played a crucial role on a crash crew in Italy and later worked as an Armed Forces Radio DJ in Rome. After the war, he returned to Harvard and graduated, setting the stage for a long and distinguished career in the entertainment industry.
McCullough's early forays into songwriting, which he attempted alongside his Harvard friend Jack Lemmon in New York, were unsuccessful, but he quickly found success in television, directing, writing, or producing a wide range of productions for CBS and other networks. One of his earliest notable projects was a production featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.
In his personal life, McCullough married actress Bethel Leslie in 1953 and had a daughter, Leslie, with her. The couple eventually divorced in 1963. McCullough later moved to California and continued to work in television, directing and writing multiple episodes of various programs.
In addition to his work in television, McCullough also pursued a passion for writing, and his novel "Rough Cut" was published in 1976. He also worked behind the scenes on several films and television shows, including Movies of the Week, Happy Days, and Laverne & Shirley.
In the 1980s, McCullough landed a role as the 1st Assistant Director on the popular sitcom Family Ties, which he went on to work on for its entire run, directing 14 episodes in the process. After retiring from television, McCullough went on to earn a master's degree in Clinical Psychology and practiced for over 20 years.
McCullough's personal life was marked by two marriages, first to Bethel Leslie from 1953 to 1963, and then to Janet Carlson from 1989 until her death in 2002. Throughout his life, McCullough demonstrated a remarkable range of talents and a dedication to his craft, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the worlds of entertainment and psychology.
