| David L. Wolper | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 11, 1928 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 10, 2010 (aged 82) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Producer |
David Lloyd Wolper (January 11, 1928 – August 10, 2010) was an American television and film producer, responsible for shows such as Roots, The Thorn Birds, North & South, L.A. Confidential, and the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). He also produced numerous documentaries and documentary series like Biography (TV series; 1961–63), The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (TV), Appointment with Destiny (TV series), This is Elvis, Four Days in November, Imagine: John Lennon, and others. He directed the 1959 documentary The Race for Space, which was nominated for an Academy Award. His 1971 film (as executive producer) about the study of insects The Hellstrom Chronicle won an Academy Award.
For his work on television, he had received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The pre-1968 library is owned by Cube Entertainment (formerly International Creative Exchange), the post-1970 library is owned by Warner Bros..
On March 13, 1974, one of his crews filming a National Geographic history of Australopithecus at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area was killed when the Corvair 440 Sierra Pacific Airlines plane exploded on take off from Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop, California killing all 35 on board including 31 Wolper crew members. The filmed segment was recovered in the wreckage and was broadcast in the television series Primal Man. The NTSB never determined the cause of the accident and the resort sold the airline.[1]
Wolper died on August 10, 2010 of congestive heart disease and complications of Parkinson's disease at his Beverly Hills home. Wolper was survived by his wife of 36 years Glorida, his 3 children from a previous marriage sons Mark and Michael Wolper and a daughter Leslie. He was also survived by 10 grandchildren.[2]
His company in the following productions. He was a distributor in early shows and became an executive producer with The Race for Space in 1958.[3][4]
| Year | Show |
| 1949 | Funny Bunnies (36 Episodes) |
| 1953 | Superman (90 Episodes) |
| 1954 | Baseball Hall of Fame (75 Episodes) |
| 1954 | O.S.S. (32 Episodes) |
| 1954 | Grand Ole Opry (39 Episodes) |
| 1955 | Congressional Investigator (26 Episodes) |
| 1958 | The Race for Space |
| 1958 | Men from Boys - The First Eight Weeks |
| 1959 | Project: Man in Space |
| 1960 | Hollywood: The Golden Years |
| 1961 | Biography of a Rookie: The Willie Davis Story |
| 1961 | The Rafer Johnson Story |
| 1962 | Hollywood: The Great Stars |
| 1962 | Hollywood: The Fabulous Era |
| 1962 | D-Day June 6, 1944 |
| 1962 | Biography |
| 1962–1963 | Story of... |
| 1963 | Hollywood and the Stars |
| 1963 | Escape to Freedom |
| 1963 | Kreboizen and Cancer: Thirteen Years of Bitter Conflict |
| 1963 | The Passing Years: Rework of Story of a Year 1927 |
| 1963 | The Making of the President, 1960 |
| 1963–1964 | Specials for United Artists |
| 1964 | The Legend of Marilyn Monroe |
| 1964 | The Quest for Peace |
| 1964 | A Thousand Days: A Tribute to John Fitzgerald Kennedy |
| 1964 | Men in Crisis |
| 1965 | Four Days in November |
| 1965 | France: Conquest to Liberation |
| 1965 | Korea: The 38th Parallel |
| 1965 | Prelude to War (Beginning of World War II) |
| 1965 | Japan: A New Dawn over Asia (Japan in the 20th Century) |
| 1965 | 007: The Incredible World of James Bond |
| 1965 | Let My People Go (The Story of Israel) |
| 1965 | October Madness: The World Series |
| 1965 | Race for the Moon |
| 1965 | Miss Television U.S.A. |
| 1965 | The Really Big Family: The Duke of Seattle & Their 18 Children |
| 1965 | Revolution in Our Time |
| 1965 | The Bold Men |
| 1965 | The General |
| 1965 | The Teenage Revolution |
| 1965 | The Way Out Men |
| 1965 | In Search of Man |
| 1965 | Pro Football: Mayhem On A Sunday Afternoon |
| 1965 | Revolution in the 3 R's |
| 1965 | The Thin Blue Line |
| 1965 | In Search of Man |
| 1965 | Silent Partners |
| 1965–1966 | The March of Time |
| 1965–1975 | National Geographic Society Specials |
| 1966 | The Making of the President, 1964 |
| 1966 | Wall Street Where the Money Is |
| 1966 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the White House |
| 1966 | Destination Safety |
| 1966 | China: Roots of Madness |
| 1966–1968 | The World of Animals |
| 1967 | The Big Land |
| 1967 | A Nation of Immigrants |
| 1967 | Untamed World |
| 1967 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Hollywood |
| 1967 | Movin' with Nancy |
| 1967–1968 | Do Blondes Have More Fun? |
| 1967–1968 | The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau |
| 1968 | Rise and Fall of the Third Reich |
| 1968 | The Dangerous Years |
| 1968 | California |
| 1968 | With Love, Sophia |
| 1968 | Monte Carlo C'est la Rose |
| 1968 | Sophia: A Self Portrait |
| 1968 | The Highlights of the Ice Capades 1968 |
| 1968 | On the Trail of Stanley and Livingstone |
| 1968 | Hollywood: The Selznick Years |
| 1968 | The Devil's Brigade |
| 1968 | The Making of the President, 1968 |
| 1969 | The Bridge at Remagen |
| 1969 | If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium |
| 1969 | Los Angeles: Where It's At |
| 1970 | The Unfinished Journey of Robert F. Kennedy |
| 1970 | I Love My Wife |
| 1970–1972 | The Plimpton Specials |
| 1971 | Say Goodbye |
| 1971 | They've Killed President Lincoln |
| 1971 | The Hellstrom Chronicle |
| 1971 | Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory |
| 1971–1973 | Appointment With Destiny |
| 1972 | King, Queen, Knave |
| 1972 | One Is a Lonely Number |
| 1972 | Here Comes Tomorrow: The Fear Fighters |
| 1972 | Republican Party Films |
| 1972 | Make Mine Red, White and Blue |
| 1972 | Top of The Month (3 half-hour specials) |
| 1972 | Of Thee I Sing |
| 1972–1973 | Explorers |
| 1973 | The 500 Pound Jerk |
| 1973 | Wattstax |
| 1973 | Visions of Eight |
| 1973–1974 | Primal Man Specials |
| 1973–1975 | The American Heritage Specials |
| 1974 | This Week In The NBA (Series of 20 half-hours) |
| 1974 | NBA Game of the Week Featurettes |
| 1974 | Get Christie Love! |
| 1974 | Judgment Specials |
| 1974 | The Morning After |
| 1974 | Unwed Father |
| 1974 | Men of the Dragon |
| 1974 | The First Woman President |
| 1974 | Love from A to Z |
| 1974 | Birds Do It, Bees Do It |
| 1974 | The Animal Within |
| 1974 | Yes Virgina, There Is A Santa Claus |
| 1974–1975 | Get Christie Love! |
| 1974–1975 | Smithsonian Specials |
| 1974–1975 | Sandburg's Lincoln |
| 1974–1976 | Chico and the Man |
| 1975 | Death Stalk |
| 1975 | I Will Fight No More Forever |
| 1975–1976 | Welcome Back, Kotter |
| 1976 | Brenda Starr |
| 1976 | Collision Course |
| 1976 | Celebration: The American Spirit |
| 1976 | The Unexplained |
| 1976 | Victory At Entebbe |
| 1976 | Mysteries of the Great Pyramids |
| 1977 | Roots |
| 1978 | Roots: One Year Later |
| 1978 | Roots: The Next Generations |
| 1980 | The Man Who Saw Tomorrow: Nostradamus |
| 1980 | Moviola |
| 1980 | The Thorn Birds |
| 1981 | This Is Elvis |
| 1981 | Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter |
| 1981 | Small World |
| 1981 | Murder Is Easy |
| 1982 | The Mystic Warrior |
| 1982 | Casablanca |
| 1984 | XXIIIrd Olympiad, Los Angeles 1984 |
| 1984 | His Mistress |
| 1985 | North And South - Book I |
| 1986 | North And South - Book II |
| 1986 | Liberty Weekend |
| 1987 | The Betty Ford Story |
| 1987 | Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story |
| 1988 | What Price Victory |
| 1988 | Imagine: John Lennon |
| 1988 | Roots: The Gift |
| 1989 | The Plot to Kill Hitler |
| 1989 | Murder In Mississippi |
| 1990 | Warner Bros. Celebration of Tradition, June 2, 1990 |
| 1990 | Dillinger |
| 1990 | When You Remember Me |
| 1991 | Best of the Worst |
| 1991 | Bed of Lies |
| 1992 | Celebrations |
| 1992 | Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald |
| 1993 | Celebration of a Life: Steven J. Ross Chairman of Time Warner |
| 1993 | River of Rage: The Texas Flood Tragedy - The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children? |
| 1993 | Heaven And Hell: North And South Book III |
| 1994 | On Trial |
| 1994 | Golf - The Greatest Game |
| 1994 | Heroes of the Game |
| 1994 | Without Warning |
| 1994 | Murder in the First |
| 1995 | Prince for a Day |
| 1996 | The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years |
| 1996 | Surviving Picasso |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential |
| 1998 | Terror at the Mall |
| 1998 | Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary Show |
| 1998 | A Will of Their Own |
| 1998 | Confirmation |
| 1998 | Legends, Icons and Superstars |
| 1999 | To Serve and Protect |
| 1999 | Celebrate the Century |
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