Oprah Winfrey approached Mitch Albom about turning Tuesdays With Morrie into a made-for-television film not long after the book was published. The film, which aired on ABC-TV in December 1999, was directed by Mick Jackson and starred Jack Lemmon, as Morrie, in what was to be his last major role and one he would subsequently say was “my favorite.” 

Lemmon was rewarded with the Outstanding Lead Actor In A Mini-Series or Movie Emmy for his performance. Hank Azaria, who played Mitch, also won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor and the film won the Emmy for Outstanding Made-For-Television Movie. With an audience of nearly 25 million people, it was the most watched TV film of the year. 

Reviews

"...'Tuesdays With Morrie' does the book justice - a pretty impressive feat." --Ray Richmond, Daily Variety

"...perhaps the best network television movie in recent memory, a story of surprising wit and humanity, formed with simple grace around the last months of the real-life Brandeis professor and Newton native Morrie Schwartz." --John Koch, The Boston Globe