Here is the biography of Eric Monte:
Eric Monte, a high school dropout, was born and raised in the impoverished Cabrini-Green Housing project in Chicago. Despite growing up in a tough environment filled with gangs, high unemployment, and drugs, Monte was determined to make a name for himself. At the age of five, he made a vow to create black heroes, and he spent his childhood playing cowboys and Indians, pretending to be the Lone Ranger.
Monte left Cabrini with just $5 in his pocket and hitchhiked his way to Hollywood, where he befriended fellow actor Mike Evans in 1971. Evans was impressed by Monte's writing skills and asked him to help expand his role on Norman Lear's sitcom, All in the Family. Monte wrote a script and submitted it to Lear, who was impressed and hired him as a writer on the show.
Monte went on to create the characters George and Louise Jefferson, who premiered on All in the Family. He also collaborated with Evans to create the show Good Times, which tackled social issues such as income inequality, drugs, gang violence, and discrimination. However, Lear insisted that the father be written out of the show, and Monte eventually quit the production company.
Monte went on to write the movie Cooley High, which chronicled the antics of African American teenagers living in the Chicago projects. A year after his resignation, Lear came out with a show called The Jeffersons, which starred the characters George and Louise Jefferson in their own sitcom. Despite being the creator of the characters, Monte was not credited as the show's creator.
Monte's success continued with the 1975 movie Cooley High, which was adapted into a sitcom called What's Happening! in 1976. The show became the first African American teen sitcom to break into the Nielsen ratings. However, Monte's career was marred by controversy when he filed a lawsuit accusing ABC, CBS, and producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin of stealing his ideas for Good Times, The Jeffersons, and What's Happening!!. Monte received a $1-million settlement and a small percentage of the residuals from Good Times, but he was blacklisted by Hollywood producers and struggled to find work.
Monte's life took a downward turn when he became despondent and developed a crack cocaine addiction. He became homeless and lost his $1 million settlement due to poor investment. However, he eventually found sobriety and began writing again, publishing a book called BluePrints For Peace in the late 2000s. Today, Monte resides in his birthplace, Chicago, and continues to write television and film scripts, looking for a comeback.
