Markowitz was raised by his stepfather, Larry Gelbart from the age of 6. While in college, he and his partner pitched the producers 23 story ideas for the second season of MASH. All 23 were shot down. They came back with one story about a gay soldier who winds up in the MASH hospital after having been beaten by members of his own troop. It turned out to be the first time that a gay-themed sitcom episode ("George") had aired on TV. (Markowitz is heterosexual, not that that matters.).
