David Greene (director)
Encyclopedia
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 actor and director in England in 1948. In 1950 he appeared in the film, The Wooden Horse
. In Hollywood, Greene became best known for his television series and television film productions. Among these were:
Greene was married 7 times: Margaret Lane (1941–1948), Katharine Blake (1948–1959), Eileen Grace Jack (1959–1970), Thomasina Doreen Patricia Jones (1972–1973), Vanessa Linsell (1975–1981), Lauren Ricky Greene (1981–2001) and Kelly Greene (2003). Greene was divorced from five of his seven wives. His marriage to Thomasina ended in her death and his seventh ended in his own death three days later. He had one child each with Vanessa Linsell, Thomasina Jones, Eileen Grace Jack and Katharine Blake.
He died aged 82 on April 7, 2003 of pancreatic cancer
, in Ojai, California
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television director from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, who emigrated to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1953, where he trained in television production with the CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, and then moved on to Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Greene's career began as a stage actor and director in England in 1948. In 1950 he appeared in the film, The Wooden Horse
The Wooden Horse
The Wooden Horse is a 1950 British Second World War war film starring Leo Genn, Anthony Steel and David Tomlinson and directed by Jack Lee. It is based on the book of the same name by Eric Williams, who also wrote the screenplay....
. In Hollywood, Greene became best known for his television series and television film productions. Among these were:
- A Season in PurgatoryA Season in PurgatoryA Season in Purgatory is a 1993 novel by Dominick Dunne. It was inspired by the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley, for which Michael Skakel, the nephew of Ethel Skakel Kennedy, eventually was convicted...
(1996) starring Patrick DempseyPatrick DempseyPatrick Galen Dempsey is an American actor, known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to Grey's Anatomy he made several television appearances and was nominated for an Emmy Award... - Children of the DustChildren of the Dust (TV miniseries)Children of the Dust is a TV miniseries that aired on February 26 and 28, 1995 on CBS, featuring an ensemble cast led by Academy Award winning actor Sidney Poitier...
(1995) starring Sidney PoitierSidney PoitierSir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field... - Whatever Happened to ... (1991) starring the Redgrave sisters, LynnLynn RedgraveLynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
and VanessaVanessa RedgraveVanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
, a remake of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) - Liberace: Behind the MusicLiberace: Behind the MusicLiberace: Behind the Music is a 1988 Kushner-Locke Company television production. It is an "unofficial" biopic drama on the life and death of Wladziu Valentino Liberace, who went from a humble working-class background to become a famous American pianist and vocalist...
(1988) starring Victor GarberVictor GarberVictor Joseph Garber is a Canadian film, stage and television actor and singer. Garber is known for playing Jesus in Godspell, Jack Bristow in the television series Alias, Max in Lend Me a Tenor, and Thomas Andrews in James Cameron's Titanic.-Early life:Born in London, Ontario, Canada, Garber is... - Inherit The WindInherit the Wind (1988 film)Inherit the Wind is a 1988 television film adaptation of the play of the same name. The original 1955 play was written as a parable which fictionalized the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial as a means of discussing the 1950s McCarthy trials...
(1988) starring Kirk DouglasKirk DouglasKirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
and Jason Robards Jr. - Circle of ViolenceCircle of Violence: A Family DramaCircle of Violence: A Family Drama is a 1986 CBS television movie starring Tuesday Weld, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Peter Bonerz and River Phoenix that tells the tragic story of the seldom addressed issue of elder parent abuse.-Synopsis:Georgia Benfield is at a...
(1986) starring Tuesday WeldTuesday WeldTuesday Weld is an American actress.Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960...
and River PhoenixRiver PhoenixRiver Jude Phoenix was an American film actor, musician, and teen icon. He was the oldest brother of fellow actors Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.Phoenix began acting at age 10 in television commercials...
; won a Wise Owl Award for Outstanding Television film. - Rehearsal For Murder (1982) starring Robert PrestonRobert Preston (actor)-Early life:Preston was born Robert Preston Meservey in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth L. and Frank Wesley Meservey, a garment worker and billing clerk for American Express. After attending Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California, he studied acting at the Pasadena Community...
and Lynn RedgraveLynn RedgraveLynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962... - Friendly FireFriendly Fire (1979 film)Friendly Fire is an American television movie first broadcast on the ABC network on April 22, 1979. Watched that night by an estimated 64 million people, Friendly Fire went on to win four Emmy awards, including Outstanding Drama Special....
(1979) starring Carol BurnettCarol BurnettCarol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
; won Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special - RootsRoots (TV miniseries)Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
(1977) starring Lorne GreeneLorne GreeneLorne Greene , was the stage name of Lyon Himan Green, OC, a Canadian actor.His television roles include Ben Cartwright on the western Bonanza, and Commander Adama in the science fiction movie and subsequent TV Series Battlestar Galactica...
and Maya AngelouMaya AngelouMaya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
; won Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series - Rich Man, Poor ManRich 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...
(1976) starring Nick NolteNick NolteNicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
and Ray MillandRay MillandRay Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
; won Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series - GodspellGodspell (film)Godspell, released in 1973, is the film adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical Godspell created by John-Michael Tebelak.Set in modern New York City, the film stars Victor Garber as Jesus and David Haskell as John the Baptist/Judas...
(1973); the film was nominated for the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals... - The People Next DoorThe People Next DoorThe People Next Door is an American situation comedy which aired briefly on CBS as part of its Fall 1989 schedule.-Synopsis:Set in Covington, Ohio, The People Next Door stars Jeffrey Jones, previously regarded as a character actor, as cartoonist Walter Kellogg, a man whose imagination was so vivid...
(1970), an episode of CBS Playhouse starring Eli WallachEli WallachEli Herschel Wallach is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
and Julie HarrisJulie HarrisJulia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
; won Emmy for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama
Greene was married 7 times: Margaret Lane (1941–1948), Katharine Blake (1948–1959), Eileen Grace Jack (1959–1970), Thomasina Doreen Patricia Jones (1972–1973), Vanessa Linsell (1975–1981), Lauren Ricky Greene (1981–2001) and Kelly Greene (2003). Greene was divorced from five of his seven wives. His marriage to Thomasina ended in her death and his seventh ended in his own death three days later. He had one child each with Vanessa Linsell, Thomasina Jones, Eileen Grace Jack and Katharine Blake.
He died aged 82 on April 7, 2003 of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
, in Ojai, California
Ojai, California
Ojai is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley , surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.-History:Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley...
.
Selected filmography
- The Shuttered RoomThe Shuttered RoomThe Shuttered Room is a 1967 British horror film starring Gig Young and Carol Lynley as a couple who move into a house with dark secrets. It is based on the short story of the same name by August Derleth and H. P...
(1967) - SebastianSebastian (1968 film)Sebastian is a 1968 British film directed by David Greene, produced by Michael Powell, Herbert Brodkin and Gerry Fisher, and distributed by Paramount Pictures...
(1968) - The Strange AffairThe Strange AffairThe Strange Affair is a 1968 British crime film directed by David Greene.-Cast:* Michael York - Peter Strange* Jeremy Kemp - Peirce* Susan George - Frederika 'Fred' March* Jack Watson - Quince* George A. Cooper - Kingsley...
(1968) - I Start CountingI Start CountingI Start Counting were an electronic music duo from North London. The band consisted of David Baker and Simon Leonard.-Background:Baker and Leonard had met at Middlesex University; both had affection for pop music. In 1982 they began to DJ together which led to them to form the I Start Counting...
(1969) - Gray Lady DownGray Lady DownGray Lady Down is a 1978 disaster film by Universal Studios starring Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, and features the first film role for a young Christopher Reeve...
(1977) - Hard CountryHard CountryHard Country may refer to:*Hard Country , a 1981 film starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Kim Basinger*Hard Country , a 1981 album by Michael Martin Murphey, the soundtrack to the film...
(1981)