Andy Sidaris

Andy Sidaris
Born Andrew W. Sidaris
(1931-02-20)February 20, 1931
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died March 7, 2007(2007-03-07) (aged 76)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Other names Andrew Sidaris
Occupation Director, producer, actor, screenwriter
Years active 1960–2003
Spouse(s) Arlene Sidaris
Website www.andysidaris.com

Andrew W. "Andy" Sidaris (February 20, 1931 – March 7, 2007) was an American television and film director, film producer, actor, and screenwriter.

Early life

Sidaris was born in Chicago, grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana graduated from C.E. Byrd High School, and attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas. His family was active in city sports circles. His brother Chris W. Sidaris (1927–2000), was the former director of the Shreveport Parks and Recreation Department.

Career

Sidaris was best known for his Bullets, Bombs, and Babes or Bullets, Bombs, and Boobs (BBB for short) series of B-movies produced between 1985 and 1998. These films featured a rotating "stock company" of actors mostly made up of Playboy Playmates and Penthouse "Pets", including Julie Strain, Dona Speir, Hope Marie Carlton, Cynthia Brimhall, Roberta Vasquez, Julie K. Smith, Shae Marks, and Wendy Hamilton. Several of his films were done wholly or largely in Shreveport using many local actors or actors with local ties.

Before the B-movies, Sidaris was a pioneer in sports television. He directed coverage of hundreds of football and basketball games, Olympic events, and special programs and won seven Emmy awards for his work in the field. His best known work was with ABC's Wide World of Sports; he was the show's first director, and continued in that post for 25 years.

Sidaris pioneered what he called the "honey shot", close-ups of cheerleaders and pretty girls in the stands at sporting events. He won an Emmy Award in 1969 for directing the Summer Olympics. He expanded into dramatic television in the 1970s, directing episodes of programs like Gemini Man (1976), CBS's Kojak (mid-1970s), ABC's The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (late-1970s) and ABC's Monday Night Football.

He expanded into film, specializing in action flicks featuring buxom gun-toting Playboy Playmates and Penthouse Pets with titles like Fit to Kill and Savage Beach. Most of Sidaris' "Triple B" series (later given the title L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies) focused on the adventures of a team of secret agents and were mostly filmed in Hawaii. Several entries in the series were merely produced by him and were written and directed by others. Although the series featured recurring characters, continuity between films was not a priority and it was common for an actress who played a villain (and was killed off) in one film to re-appear in a subsequent film as a hero.

With his wife, Arlene T. Sidaris (born ca. 1942) as his production partner, Sidaris made twelve films. Since Sidaris' death, she runs the official websites of his twelve films.

Death

Sidaris resided in Beverly Hills with Arlene Sidaris until his death from throat cancer.[1]

Selected filmography

Film
Year Film Notes
1969 The Racing Scene Director
1970 MASH Football choreographer,[2] uncredited
1973 Stacey Director, producer, writer
1979 Seven Director
1985 Malibu Express Director, producer, writer
1987 Hard Ticket to Hawaii Director, writer
1988 Picasso Trigger Director, writer
1989 Savage Beach Director, producer, writer
1990 Guns Director, writer
1991 Do or Die Director, writer
1993 Hard Hunted Director, producer, writer
1993 Fit to Kill Director, writer
Enemy Gold Producer
1994 The Dallas Connection Executive producer
1996 Day of the Warrior Director, writer
1998 L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies: Return to Savage Beach Director, writer
Television
Year Title Notes
1975 Kojak Director, 1 episode
1976 Gemini Man Director, 1 episode
1977 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries Director, 1 episode

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ "Andy Sidaris: 1931 – 2007 Longtime director at ABC Sports". chicagotribune.com. March 11, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
  2. ↑ Susman, Gary (March 9, 2007). "Andy Sidaris, RIP". ew.com. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
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