Mary-Ellis Bunim - Definition and Overview

Mary-Ellis Bunim (July 9, 1946 - January 29, 2004) was a producer and co-creator of MTV's The Real World.

She was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, and began her career as an assistant on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. By 1974, she was promoted to executive producer, where she would stay until 1981. From there she was hired as executive producer of As the World Turns and Santa Barbara.

Her company, Bunim/Murray Productions, spearheaded the reality television genre with such shows as The Real World, Road Rules, and The Simple Life.

She died in Burbank, California of breast cancer. She was 57.