Jennifer Alward, 53; Producer of TV Movies, Miniseries

Jennifer Alward, 53, a television executive and producer who developed movies and miniseries, died Friday in Los Angeles. She had heart disease and diabetes and died of an apparent heart attack, said her husband, Paul Faulstich.

Alward was a graduate of Cal State Long Beach, where she studied film and communications. She began her career as press coordinator for the Los Angeles International Film Exposition, or Filmex. She started her own production firm, Morgan Hill Films, in 1986.

As a producer, she shepherded projects with challenging themes, such as the 1994 television movie “David’s Mother,” which concerned the struggles of an autistic teenager and his mother. The movie, which aired on CBS, earned Emmy awards for actors Kirstie Alley and Michael Goorjian and was nominated for a Golden Globe award.

It also was honored with a Humanitas Award for television long-form dramatic writing.