Schwartz had originally wanted a career in biological sciences

Accepting the award he paid tribute to Dawn Wells and Florence Henderson who starred in the two popular shows.

"To me, Dawn will always be Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island and Florence will always be Mrs Brady," he said.

He also revealed how he fell into show business "by accident" after writing jokes for late actor Bob Hope.

Schwartz moved to Southern California from New York in 1938 to get a master's degree in biological sciences.

In order to help him make money along the way, Schwartz's brother Al got him a job on Hope's radio show.

"Bob liked my jokes, used them on his show and got big laughs. Then he asked me to join his writing staff," he said.

"I was faced with a major decision - writing comedy or starving to death while I cured those diseases. I made a quick career change."

He eventually turned to TV, creating Gilligan's Island in 1963 which lasted four years.

After it ended in 1967 he brought The Brady Bunch to TV screens, for which he also wrote the theme song.