Michael Deeley

Michael Deeley
Born (1932-08-06) 6 August 1932 (age 92)
England
OccupationFilm producer
Notable workThe Italian Job
The Deer Hunter
Blade Runner
Michael Deeley's voice
from the BBC programme Desert Island Discs, 14 December 2008.[1]
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Michael Deeley (born 6 August 1932) is an Academy Award-winning British film producer known for motion pictures such as The Italian Job (1969), The Deer Hunter (1978), and Blade Runner (1982). He is also a founding member and Honorary President of British Screen Forum.

Biography

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Deeley's father was a director at McCann Erickson advertising agency, and his mother was a PA to several film producers. He attended Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. After national service in Malaysia during the time of the Malayan Emergency, Deeley gained a job through his mother's connections as an assistant editor at a company run by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

While editing the TV show The Adventures of Robin Hood, with his editing partner Harry Booth, the two men decided to branch into a producing partnership. They raised funds to produce a 26-minute short starring Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan, The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn (1956). This launched Deeley's producing career, although he did not give up his day job as editor for a few years.[2]

In the early 1960s, Deeley worked for the UK sales arm of MCA Universal for three years, then he returned to producing with Sandy the Reluctant Nudist (1963, released 1966) and One Way Pendulum (1964). The latter was made for Woodfall Film Productions who hired Deeley in 1964 to assist Oscar Lewenstein, a director of the company.

Deeley produced Robbery (1967), which began a partnership with Stanley Baker to make films through Oakhurst Productions. Along with Baker and Barry Spikings, Deeley also established a series of companies all called "Great Western" which did a variety of activities, including music festivals (Great Western Festivals), and investments (Great Western Investments). Great Western Investments later took over British Lion Films in 1973, and Deeley was appointed managing director of that company.[2][3]

While at British Lion, Deeley oversaw the release of Don't Look Now (1973) and The Wicker Man (1973), and helped finance The Internecine Project, Who?, Ransom (all 1974) and Conduct Unbecoming (1975). He also produced The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976).

In 1976, after British Lion merged with EMI Films, Deeley and Spikings took over management of that company.[4][5] They oversaw a series of mostly successful films including Convoy, The Driver, Death on the Nile, Warlords of Atlantis and The Deer Hunter (all 1978).[6][7][8]

Deeley left the company in 1979 and produced Blade Runner (1982).[9]

In 1984 Deeley was appointed CEO of Consolidated, a TV company seeking to further expand into US network television.[2]

Selected filmography

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Unmade Films

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  • The Last Gun (1979) – Western from Walter Hill[10]
  • The Chinese Bandit (1978) – based on script by David Shaber

References

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  1. ^ "Michael Deeley profile". Desert Island Discs. 14 December 2008. BBC Radio 4. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Michael Deeley, Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies, Pegasus Books, 2009, pp. 95-97, 186.
  3. ^ "£1m. bid for studio likely". The Irish Times. 11 June 1975. p. 14.
  4. ^ "Acquisitionof B Lion". The Guardian. 19 May 1976. p. 18.
  5. ^ Barker, Dennis (14 May 1977). "The final fade-out for British Lion". The Guardian. London (UK). p. 2.
  6. ^ ALJEAN HARMETZ (1 August 1977). "If a Movie Goes in America, Will Rest of World Buy It?: E.M.I. Films Chief Says Answer Depends Upon Motion and Stars". The New York Times. p. 34.
  7. ^ Wilson, John M. (5 August 1979). "Films shop for cash in worldwide markets: Films shop for cash in the markets of the world". Chicago Tribune. p. g20.
  8. ^ "The man who came to film". The Guardian. 18 July 1979. p. 10.
  9. ^ RODERICK MANN (3 March 1981). "'BLADE RUNNER': FILM REQUIRING 2020 VISION". Los Angeles Times. p. g1.
  10. ^ Kilday, Gregg. (22 October 1977). "FILM CLIPS: 'The Body Snatchers' Moves Up". Los Angeles Times. p. c11.

Sources

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  • Michael Deeley, Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies, Pegasus Books, 2009.
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