Judy Crichton, 77; first producer of TV series ‘American Experience’

Judy Crichton, 77, the first executive producer of the public television series “American Experience,” died from complications of leukemia Sunday in Manhattan, the New York Times reported.

During her tenure as executive producer from 1988 to 1996, “American Experience” won seven Emmys, six Peabody Awards, five Writers Guild Awards and two Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Journalism Awards, the newspaper reported.

Crichton oversaw the production of 100 documentaries, including ones on the lives of American presidents and key moments in the civil rights movement. The series is produced by WGBH, the PBS affiliate in Boston.

A native of New York, Crichton graduated from high school at 15, the newspaper reported, and quickly dropped out of college. From 1952 to 1968, she was a writer and producer of the CBS game show “I’ve Got a Secret.”