Joseph Sargent
Encyclopedia
Joseph Sargent is an American
film director
. He has directed many television movie
s, but his best known feature film works are probably White Lightning
, MacArthur
, Nightmares
and Jaws: The Revenge
, with his most popular film being The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. He has won four Emmy Award
s. He is the father of anime dubbing voice actress Lia Sargent
.
, New Jersey
, the son of Maria (née Noviello) and Domenico Sorgente.
Sargent began his career as an actor. He switched to directing in the mid 1950s, with directing credits including episodes of the television series Lassie, The Invaders
, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
, and Star Trek
.
In 1969, he directed his first feature, Colossus: The Forbin Project
, and in 1972 the controversial political drama The Man
, starring James Earl Jones
.
In 1969, he won his first Directors Guild of America
Award for The Marcus-Nelson Murders, which spawned the long running TV series Kojak
.
He alternated between television movies and feature films during the 1970s. Output during this time included The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, the TV movies Hustling with Lee Remick
and Jill Clayburgh
and Tribes
with Jan-Michael Vincent
and Darren McGavin
, as well as the international award-winning ABC film The Night That Panicked America
.
In the 1980s, he directed the mini-series Manions of America
, which featured Pierce Brosnan
, and Space.
In 1987, he directed Jaws: The Revenge
, the third sequel to Steven Spielberg
's 1975 classic. The film received generally negative reviews. Roger Ebert
particularly called his directing of the climactic sequence "incompetent," and he was nominated as "Worst Director" in the 1987 Golden Raspberry Awards
.
He has concentrated on TV movies since Jaws: The Revenge. Notable credits includes The Karen Carpenter Story
, The Long Island Incident
, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment
, and Sybil
.
Sargent has been nominated for several Emmy awards, and has won four. His first nomination came for his direction of the 1970 TV movie Tribes. His second nomination, for 1973's The Marcus-Nelson Murders, earned him his first win. He also won Emmy
s for 1985's Love Is Never Silent
, 1990s Caroline?, and 1992's Miss Rose White. He was also nominated for 1980s Amber Waves, 1999's
A Lesson Before Dying
, 2004's Something the Lord Made
, and 2005's Warm Springs
.
He won the Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement in 2005 for Something the Lord Made
, and also in 2006 for Warm Springs
, starring Kenneth Branagh
.
He has been married to The Deadly Years actress Carolyn Nelson Sargent since 1970, and has directed her in several of his projects, including the aforementioned The Marcus-Nelson Murders and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Carolyn Nelson Sargent and Joseph Sargent laid the groundwork for Deaf West Theatre
.
He is currently the Senior Filmmaker-in-Residence for the Directing program at the American Film Institute
Conservatory in Los Angeles
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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:...
. He has directed many television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s, but his best known feature film works are probably White Lightning
White Lightning (1973 film)
White Lightning is a 1973 American action film from United Artists starring Burt Reynolds as Gator McKlusky. The film, directed by Joseph Sargent and written by William W. Norton, also starred Jennifer Billingsley, Ned Beatty, Bo Hopkins, R.G. Armstrong, and Diane Ladd...
, MacArthur
MacArthur (film)
MacArthur is a 1977 American biographical war film directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Gregory Peck in the eponymous role as American General Douglas MacArthur.-Plot:...
, Nightmares
Nightmares (1983 film)
Nightmares is a 1983 film with four tales of horror, starring Emilio Estevez, Lance Henriksen, Cristina Raines, Veronica Cartwright and Richard Masur. The film is directed by T.V. veteran Joseph Sargent and began as a television project of four horror stories. The results were deemed too strong for...
and Jaws: The Revenge
Jaws: The Revenge
Jaws: The Revenge, Also known as, 'Jaws 4: The Revenge', is a 1987 thriller film directed by Joseph Sargent. It is the third sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the final installment of the series....
, with his most popular film being The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. He has won four Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s. He is the father of anime dubbing voice actress Lia Sargent
Lia Sargent
Lia Sargent is an American voice actress. She is known for extensive anime and video game voice work and has also done ADR directing and script writing for Animaze.. iNC...
.
Life and career
Sargent was born Giuseppe Danielle Sorgente in Jersey CityJersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, the son of Maria (née Noviello) and Domenico Sorgente.
Sargent began his career as an actor. He switched to directing in the mid 1950s, with directing credits including episodes of the television series Lassie, The Invaders
The Invaders
The Invaders, a Quinn Martin Production , is an ABC science fiction television program created by Larry Cohen that ran in the United States for two seasons, from January 10, 1967 to March 26, 1968...
, 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...
, and Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
.
In 1969, he directed his first feature, Colossus: The Forbin Project
Colossus: The Forbin Project
Colossus: The Forbin Project is an American science fiction thriller film. It is based upon the 1966 novel Colossus, by Dennis Feltham Jones, about a massive American defense computer, named Colossus, becoming sentient and deciding to assume control of the world.-Plot:Dr. Charles A...
, and in 1972 the controversial political drama The Man
The Man (1972 film)
The Man is a 1972 political drama directed by Joseph Sargent and starring James Earl Jones. Jones plays Douglass Dilman, the President pro tempore of the United States Senate, who succeeds to the presidency through a series of unforeseeable events, thereby becoming the first African American...
, starring James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
.
In 1969, he won his first Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
Award for The Marcus-Nelson Murders, which spawned the long running TV series Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
.
He alternated between television movies and feature films during the 1970s. Output during this time included The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, the TV movies Hustling with Lee Remick
Lee Remick
Lee Ann Remick was an American film and television actress. Among her best-known films are Anatomy of a Murder , Days of Wine and Roses , and The Omen .-Early life:...
and Jill Clayburgh
Jill Clayburgh
Jill Clayburgh was an American actress. She received Academy Award nominations for her roles in An Unmarried Woman and Starting Over.-Personal life:...
and Tribes
Tribes (film)
Tribes, also known as The Soldier Who Declared Peace , is a 1970 television film, broadcast as an ABC Movie of the Week directed by Joseph Sargent. A big ratings success when it first aired November 10, 1970, Tribes was later released theatrically in Britain and Europe under the title The Soldier...
with Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent is an American actor best known for his role as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the 1980s U.S. television series Airwolf .-Early life:...
and Darren McGavin
Darren McGavin
Darren McGavin was an American actor best known for playing the title role in the television horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker and his portrayal in the film A Christmas Story of the grumpy father given to bursts of profanity that he never realizes his son overhears...
, as well as the international award-winning ABC film The Night That Panicked America
The Night That Panicked America
The Night That Panicked America is an American made-for-television movie that was originally broadcast on the ABC network on October 31, 1975. The movie dramatizes events surrounding Orson Welles' famous - and infamous - War of the Worlds radio broadcast The Night That Panicked America is an...
.
In the 1980s, he directed the mini-series Manions of America
Manions of America
Manions of America is a 6 hour mini-series for American television made in 1981. The subject of the series were Irish immigrants to the United States during the Great Famine of the mid-19th century. It was the first American role for actor Pierce Brosnan, co-starring Kate Mulgrew, David Soul and...
, which featured Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
, and Space.
In 1987, he directed Jaws: The Revenge
Jaws: The Revenge
Jaws: The Revenge, Also known as, 'Jaws 4: The Revenge', is a 1987 thriller film directed by Joseph Sargent. It is the third sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the final installment of the series....
, the third sequel to Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's 1975 classic. The film received generally negative reviews. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
particularly called his directing of the climactic sequence "incompetent," and he was nominated as "Worst Director" in the 1987 Golden Raspberry Awards
1987 Golden Raspberry Awards
The 8th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on April 10, 1988 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to recognize the worst the film industry had to offer in 1987. Leonard Part 6 was the biggest "winner" with three awards out of five nominations. Although he did not attend the ceremony,...
.
He has concentrated on TV movies since Jaws: The Revenge. Notable credits includes The Karen Carpenter Story
The Karen Carpenter Story
The Karen Carpenter Story is a TV movie that aired on CBS on January 1, 1989. It was directed by Joseph Sargent. Richard Carpenter served as a producer for the film as well as the musical score. It was very popular in the ratings; it was the highest-rated two-hour TV movie of the year and the third...
, The Long Island Incident
The Long Island Incident
The Long Island Incident is a 1998 American television movie produced by Barbra Streisand's Barwood Films. The teleplay by Maria Nation is based on a real-life incident....
, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. This is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his...
, and Sybil
Sybil (2007 film)
Sybil is a 2007 American docudrama directed by Joseph Sargent. The teleplay by John Pielmeier is based on the 1973 book of the same name by Flora Rheta Schreiber, which fictionalized the story of Shirley Ardell Mason, who was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder...
.
Sargent has been nominated for several Emmy awards, and has won four. His first nomination came for his direction of the 1970 TV movie Tribes. His second nomination, for 1973's The Marcus-Nelson Murders, earned him his first win. He also won Emmy
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special
This is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special.- Chronology of categories :...
s for 1985's Love Is Never Silent
Love Is Never Silent
Love Is Never Silent is a 1985 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie aired on CBS December 9, 1985 and stars Mare Winningham and Cloris Leachman. It is based on the novel by Joanne Greenberg.-External links:*...
, 1990s Caroline?, and 1992's Miss Rose White. He was also nominated for 1980s Amber Waves, 1999's
A Lesson Before Dying
A Lesson Before Dying (film)
A Lesson Before Dying is a television film released in 1999 adapted from the Ernest J. Gaines novel of the same title.-Cast and characters:* Don Cheadle – Grant Wiggins* Cicely Tyson – Tante Lou* Mekhi Phifer – Jefferson* Elaine Russell – Miss Emma...
, 2004's Something the Lord Made
Something the Lord Made
Something The Lord Made is a film about the black cardiac pioneer Vivien Thomas and his complex and volatile partnership with white surgeon Alfred Blalock, the world famous "Blue Baby doctor" who pioneered modern heart surgery...
, and 2005's Warm Springs
Warm Springs (film)
Warm Springs is a 2005 television film about American President Franklin D. Roosevelt's struggle with polio, his discovery of the Warm Springs, Georgia spa resort and his work to turn it into a center for the aid of polio victims, and his resumption of his political career...
.
He won the Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement in 2005 for Something the Lord Made
Something the Lord Made
Something The Lord Made is a film about the black cardiac pioneer Vivien Thomas and his complex and volatile partnership with white surgeon Alfred Blalock, the world famous "Blue Baby doctor" who pioneered modern heart surgery...
, and also in 2006 for Warm Springs
Warm Springs (film)
Warm Springs is a 2005 television film about American President Franklin D. Roosevelt's struggle with polio, his discovery of the Warm Springs, Georgia spa resort and his work to turn it into a center for the aid of polio victims, and his resumption of his political career...
, starring Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
.
He has been married to The Deadly Years actress Carolyn Nelson Sargent since 1970, and has directed her in several of his projects, including the aforementioned The Marcus-Nelson Murders and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Carolyn Nelson Sargent and Joseph Sargent laid the groundwork for Deaf West Theatre
Deaf West Theatre
Deaf West Theatre Company is a North Hollywood, California-based cultural institution serving as a model for deaf theatre worldwide. Founded in 1991, by Ed Waterstreet, it is noted for being the first professional resident Sign Language Theatre in the western half of the United States...
.
He is currently the Senior Filmmaker-in-Residence for the Directing program at the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
Conservatory in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Colossus: The Forbin Project Colossus: The Forbin Project Colossus: The Forbin Project is an American science fiction thriller film. It is based upon the 1966 novel Colossus, by Dennis Feltham Jones, about a massive American defense computer, named Colossus, becoming sentient and deciding to assume control of the world.-Plot:Dr. Charles A... |
|||
| 1972 | The Man The Man (1972 film) The Man is a 1972 political drama directed by Joseph Sargent and starring James Earl Jones. Jones plays Douglass Dilman, the President pro tempore of the United States Senate, who succeeds to the presidency through a series of unforeseeable events, thereby becoming the first African American... |
|||
| 1973 | White Lightning White Lightning (1973 film) White Lightning is a 1973 American action film from United Artists starring Burt Reynolds as Gator McKlusky. The film, directed by Joseph Sargent and written by William W. Norton, also starred Jennifer Billingsley, Ned Beatty, Bo Hopkins, R.G. Armstrong, and Diane Ladd... |
|||
| 1974 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | |||
| 1975 | The Night That Panicked America The Night That Panicked America The Night That Panicked America is an American made-for-television movie that was originally broadcast on the ABC network on October 31, 1975. The movie dramatizes events surrounding Orson Welles' famous - and infamous - War of the Worlds radio broadcast The Night That Panicked America is an... |
|||
| 1977 | MacArthur MacArthur (film) MacArthur is a 1977 American biographical war film directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Gregory Peck in the eponymous role as American General Douglas MacArthur.-Plot:... |
|||
| 1981 | Manions of America Manions of America Manions of America is a 6 hour mini-series for American television made in 1981. The subject of the series were Irish immigrants to the United States during the Great Famine of the mid-19th century. It was the first American role for actor Pierce Brosnan, co-starring Kate Mulgrew, David Soul and... |
|||
| 1983 | Nightmares Nightmares (1983 film) Nightmares is a 1983 film with four tales of horror, starring Emilio Estevez, Lance Henriksen, Cristina Raines, Veronica Cartwright and Richard Masur. The film is directed by T.V. veteran Joseph Sargent and began as a television project of four horror stories. The results were deemed too strong for... |
|||
| 1985 | Love Is Never Silent Love Is Never Silent Love Is Never Silent is a 1985 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie aired on CBS December 9, 1985 and stars Mare Winningham and Cloris Leachman. It is based on the novel by Joanne Greenberg.-External links:*... |
|||
| 1987 | Jaws: The Revenge Jaws: The Revenge Jaws: The Revenge, Also known as, 'Jaws 4: The Revenge', is a 1987 thriller film directed by Joseph Sargent. It is the third sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the final installment of the series.... |
Nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture Nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director |
||
| 1989 | The Karen Carpenter Story The Karen Carpenter Story The Karen Carpenter Story is a TV movie that aired on CBS on January 1, 1989. It was directed by Joseph Sargent. Richard Carpenter served as a producer for the film as well as the musical score. It was very popular in the ratings; it was the highest-rated two-hour TV movie of the year and the third... |
|||
| 1998 | The Long Island Incident The Long Island Incident The Long Island Incident is a 1998 American television movie produced by Barbra Streisand's Barwood Films. The teleplay by Maria Nation is based on a real-life incident.... |
|||
| 1999 | A Lesson Before Dying A Lesson Before Dying (film) A Lesson Before Dying is a television film released in 1999 adapted from the Ernest J. Gaines novel of the same title.-Cast and characters:* Don Cheadle – Grant Wiggins* Cicely Tyson – Tante Lou* Mekhi Phifer – Jefferson* Elaine Russell – Miss Emma... |
|||
| 2004 | Something the Lord Made Something the Lord Made Something The Lord Made is a film about the black cardiac pioneer Vivien Thomas and his complex and volatile partnership with white surgeon Alfred Blalock, the world famous "Blue Baby doctor" who pioneered modern heart surgery... |
Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in a Television Film Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Television Film The Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television is one the of the annual awards given by the Directors Guild of America.-2000s:*2000: Jeff Bleckner – The Beach Boys: An American Family... |
||
| 2005 | Warm Springs Warm Springs (film) Warm Springs is a 2005 television film about American President Franklin D. Roosevelt's struggle with polio, his discovery of the Warm Springs, Georgia spa resort and his work to turn it into a center for the aid of polio victims, and his resumption of his political career... |
|||
| 2007 | Sybil Sybil (2007 film) Sybil is a 2007 American docudrama directed by Joseph Sargent. The teleplay by John Pielmeier is based on the 1973 book of the same name by Flora Rheta Schreiber, which fictionalized the story of Shirley Ardell Mason, who was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder... |
|||
External links
- Biography at Hollywood.com Includes details of awards.