Lee Mendelson, an Emmy-Award-winning producer who was instrumental in bringing the holiday staple, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” to television in 1965, died on Christmas morning at his home in Hillsborough, CA. He was 86.

More than 15 million households viewed the show the night it premiered, and it remains a holiday television fixture. Mr. Mendelson also produced television movies and shorts, including “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” and “It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown,” for which he won his 12th Emmy Award.