Sheryl Leach is a well-known American writer and TV producer, best recognized for her work on the hit kids’ show Barney & Friends. In the mid-1980s, Leach made the dino show that would become known as Barney and Friends. Barney was made by her to amuse her preschool-aged son, Patrick.
When Leach, a former Dallas educator, made her child-friendly dinosaur a reality in 1988, it was for her students. Barney is widely hailed as both a landmark in the history of children’s television and a leading brand in the global market for toys and other children’s products. Leach has been nominated for multiple awards, including two Daytime Emmys (at the 20th and 23rd ceremonies).
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Sheryl Leach Early Life
Athens, Texas is home to Sheryl Lyna Stamps Leach, whose birth date is 12/31/52. Leach earned a BA in elementary education from Southern Methodist University (SMU). She pursued further education at Texas A&M, where she first obtained a master’s degree in bilingual instruction and subsequently an honorary doctorate from Texas A&M University-Commerce.
Sheryl Leach Career
Leach first entered the workforce in the education sector in Texas. Soon after, she began working for Developmental Learning Materials, a small, family-owned company in the area. However, after having her first child, she decided to leave her career. She needed something to occupy her two-year-old son, Patrick, after a time since he was getting overly excited.
After some deliberation, Leach settled on a strategy to develop a creature specifically designed to amuse kids. She settled on dinosaurs because those were her child’s most-loved prehistoric animals. Finally, Leach received a benevolent dinosaur in the shape of a pear, one without any dangerous features such as teeth, claws, spikes, or talons but instead sporting goofy, oversized feet and a permanent grin.
In the 1980s, she and co-creators Dennis DeShazer and Kathy Parker took the Barney property international, developing and marketing it in over 150 countries. Barney quickly rose to prominence as a top-rated kids’ show and a global phenomenon in the children’s product industry.
Sometime later, Leach put together a crew and made a series of home movies titled Barney and the Backyard Gang. The personal videos were eventually made available to the public for purchase. Meanwhile, Larry Rifkin of Connecticut Public Television rented a Barney video for his child.
Since Larry was so enthusiastic about the idea, he set up a meeting with Leach and the other producers to consider airing Barney on television. In October of 1991, production began on the new Barney & Friends TV show. The television series premiered on PBS in April 1992, and since then, Barney has been the recipient of numerous accolades.
Sheryl Leach Personal Life
Throughout his life, Leach has tied the knot twice. James Edmund Leach, whom she married for the first time, was a coworker at the publishing house where she was employed. They started dating and eventually tied the knot in the same year. Their union resulted in the birth of Patrick. So that Leach could concentrate on developing the Barney brand, Jim at first consented to stay at home with their children.
Barney’s success, however, led to the breakdown of his marriage. Leach and Jim separated in the year 2001. Three years later, Jim tragically took his own life. Leach eventually wed Howard Rosenfeld, with whom she co-founded the nonprofit Shei’rah Foundation.
Sheryl Leach Net Worth 2022
Sheryl Leach is expected to have a $20 million fortune by the year 2022. Her years spent working on Barney and The Backyard Show provided the bulk of her lifetime earnings. A total of 268 episodes of Barney & Friends aired on television from 1992-2010. Books and toys based on the show were enormous sellers in the early to mid-1990s.
Leach and her companion in life, Howard Rosenfeld, have funded several charitable endeavors through their company, the Shei’rah Foundation. And her wealth is bolstered even further by the fact that Leach and Rosenfeld care about community improvement and land preservation projects.
Why Was Leach’s Son Arrested?
But her son Patrick was battling a benign brain tumor and had undergone multiple surgeries. After shooting his Malibu neighbor in the chest in 2013, Patrick acquired a marijuana habit and went to prison. He was wearing both a firearm and a protective vest when he was taken into custody. Now a happily married father of two, Patrick was released from prison after serving five years.
The then-27-year-old Patrick said he fired the weapon at Eric Shanks because the latter was illegally on his land. A search of his vehicle on the Pacific Coast Highway by law enforcement officers uncovered a loaded handgun and rifle he was carrying.
After pleading no contest to assault with a deadly weapon in 2015, Patrick was given a 15-year prison term and was described as “paranoid and very tightly strung” by Deputy District Attorney Brenda Lee of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office at the time of his arrest. His original sentence of 15 years was reduced to five. For more updates, you can visit on TheActiveNews.Com.