TV director won 4 Emmy Awards

David P. Powers, 74, a four-time Emmy Award-winning television director, died July 3 in Palm Desert after battling skin cancer for several years, The Times learned this week.

Powers directed “The Carol Burnett Show” for 10 seasons and was nominated for 11 Emmys, winning prime-time Emmy Awards for best director in 1974, 1975, 1977 and 1978.

He also directed several prime-time specials starring Burnett, including “Sills and Burnett at the Met,” which co-starred Beverly Sills; “Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center,” with Julie Andrews; and the play “Once Upon a Mattress,” which also starred Ken Berry and Bernadette Peters.

When “The Carol Burnett Show” ended in 1978, Powers took over the directing chores on the ABC sitcom “Three’s Company” with John Ritter and stayed with the show until it ended in 1984. He also directed two spin-off series from that show, “The Ropers” and “Three’s a Crowd.” He later directed “Mama’s Family,” which starred Carol Burnett alumnus Vicky Lawrence.

Born in 1933 in Big Bear Lake, Powers began his career in television in 1951 working as an usher for “The Dinah Shore Show” on KNXT, now KCBS-TV Channel 2. He eventually became a stage manager for CBS, working on programs including “Playhouse 90.”

Powers worked as associate director of “The Danny Kaye Show” for several years before joining “The Carol Burnett Show.”