Boris Sagal
Encyclopedia
Boris Sagal was a Ukrainian-born American television
and film director
.
, Sagal emigrated to the United States where he attended the Yale School of Drama
. Sagal's many TV credits include directing episodes of The Twilight Zone
, "T.H.E. Cat", Alfred Hitchcock Presents
, Columbo, Peter Gunn
, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
He also directed the 1972 television adaptation of Percy MacKaye
's play The Scarecrow
, for PBS. He was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for his direction of the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man
and, posthumously, Masada
.
Sagal directed the 1971 cult classic
science fiction
film, The Omega Man
, starring Charlton Heston
in the lead role.
There is a directing fellowship in his name at the Williamstown Theatre Festival
in Massachusetts.
, Joe
, and twins Jean
and Liz Sagal
by his first wife, Sara Zwilling, who died in 1975. His second wife was Marge Champion
, to whom he was married from January 1, 1977 until his death.
World War III, when he was partially decapitated
after walking into the tail rotor blades of a helicopter in the parking lot of the Timberline Lodge in Oregon. Sagal was replaced with David Greene
the next day.
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Early life and career
Born in Yekaterinoslav, Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Sagal emigrated to the United States where he attended the Yale School of Drama
Yale School of Drama
The Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional school of Yale University providing training in every discipline of the theatre: acting, design , directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, sound design, technical design and production, and theater...
. Sagal's many TV credits include directing episodes of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
, "T.H.E. Cat", Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
, Columbo, Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
He also directed the 1972 television adaptation of Percy MacKaye
Percy MacKaye
Percy MacKaye was an American dramatist and poet.-Biography:MacKaye was born in New York City, New York. After graduating from Harvard in 1897, he traveled in Europe for three years, residing in Rome, Switzerland and London, studying at the University of Leipzig in 1899–1900...
's play The Scarecrow
The Scarecrow (play)
The Scarecrow is a play written by Percy MacKaye in 1908, and first presented on Broadway in 1911. It is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Feathertop", but greatly expands upon the tale...
, for PBS. He was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for his direction of the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man (TV miniseries)
Rich Man, Poor Man was a 1976 American television miniseries that aired on ABC in one-hour episodes at 10:00pm ET/PT on Monday night for twelve weeks, beginning February 1. It was produced by Universal Television and was the second time programming of this nature had been attempted. The first TV...
and, posthumously, Masada
Masada (miniseries)
Masada is an American television miniseries that aired on ABC in April 1981. Advertised by the network as an "ABC Novel for Television," it was a fictionalized account of the historical siege of the Masada citadel in Israel by legions of the Roman Empire in AD 73. The TV series' script is based on...
.
Sagal directed the 1971 cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film, The Omega Man
The Omega Man
The Omega Man is a 1971 American science fiction film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Charlton Heston. It is based on the novel I Am Legend by American writer Richard Matheson...
, starring Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
in the lead role.
There is a directing fellowship in his name at the Williamstown Theatre Festival
Williamstown Theatre Festival
The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a regional summer stock theatre on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, founded in 1954 by Williams College news director, Ralph Renzi, and drama program chairman, David C. Bryant. The theatre was conceived as a way to use the Adams...
in Massachusetts.
Personal life
Sagal was Jewish. Sagal was the father of KateyKatey Sagal
Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
, Joe
Joe Sagal
Joseph B. "Joe" Sagal is an American actor. He has sometimes been billed as Joey Sagal.Sagal was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Sara Zwilling, a writer, singer, and director, and Boris Sagal, a noted producer and director...
, and twins Jean
Jean Sagal
Jean Sagal is an American television actress and director. In the 1980s, she co-starred with her twin-sister Liz Sagal in the 23-episode television series Double Trouble that ran from 1984-85. She has since appeared on such shows as Picket Fences, Knots Landing, Quantum Leap and 21 Jump Street...
and Liz Sagal
Liz Sagal
Elizabeth "Liz" Sagal is an American television professional, active as an actress, screenwriter and film editor.In the 1980s, she co-starred with her twin-sister Jean Sagal in the 23-episode television series Double Trouble that ran from 1984–85, as well as the 1982 movie Grease 2, a loose sequel...
by his first wife, Sara Zwilling, who died in 1975. His second wife was Marge Champion
Marge Champion
Marge Champion is an American dancer, choreographer, and pedagogue. In addition, she also worked in film and appeared in a number of television variety shows.-Early years:...
, to whom he was married from January 1, 1977 until his death.
Death
Sagal was killed in an accident during production of the miniseriesMiniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
World War III, when he was partially decapitated
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
after walking into the tail rotor blades of a helicopter in the parking lot of the Timberline Lodge in Oregon. Sagal was replaced with David Greene
David Greene (director)
L. David Syms-Greene , born Lucius David Syms Brian Lederman, was a British television director from Manchester, England, who emigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1953, where he trained in television production with the CBC, and then moved on to Hollywood, California.Greene's career began as a stage...
the next day.