Mel Stuart

Mel Stuart
Born Stuart Solomon[1]
(1928-09-02)September 2, 1928
Manhattan, New York City
Died August 9, 2012(2012-08-09) (aged 83)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.A.
Cause of death Cancer
Nationality American
Occupation Director, producer
Years active 1963–2000
Spouse(s) Harriet Rosalind
(m. 1956; div. 1979)
Roberta Silberman
(m. 1985; her death 2011)
Children 3
Relatives Maximilian Stuart, Eleanor Stuart (Grandchildren)

Mel Stuart (born Stuart Solomon; September 2, 1928 – August 9, 2012) was an American film director and producer, who often worked with producer David L. Wolper, whose production firm he worked for 17 years, before going freelance.

Career

Stuart directed the fantasy-musical Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). He has directed other features, including If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969), One is a Lonely Number (1972) and Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135 (2000).

Stuart also directed feature documentaries including Four Days in November and Wattstax.

In addition he has directed or produced over 180 films including movies of the week The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal, Bill, The Chisholms, and Ruby and Oswald, the television series Ripley's Believe it or Not, and the documentaries The Making of the President 1960, 1964, and 1968, The Hobart Shakespeareans, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Man Ray — The Prophet of the Avant-Garde, George Plimpton and the Philharmonic, and The Poet's View. He won awards for the made for TV production Bill, starring Mickey Rooney

Awards

He was awarded four Emmy awards, an Academy Award nomination, a Peabody, a Golden Globe, and numerous other awards. Stuart also served as president of the International Documentary Association for two years.

Personal life

Stuart was born to Edgar and Cecille Solomon, graduated from New York University in 1949, and worked for an advertising company. Stuart married his first wife Harriet Rosalind Dolin on August 12, 1956. They had three children: Madeline, Peter, and Andrew. Madeline and Peter made appearances in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Stuart and Dolin divorced in 1979. He married his second wife Roberta Silberman in the 1980s, and they stayed together until her death in 2011.[2]

Death

On August 9, 2012, Stuart died at the age of 83 after suffering cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California. In addition to his three children from his first marriage, Andrew, Madeleine, and Peter Stuart, Stuart was also survived by two grandchildren, Maximilian Stuart and Eleanor Stuart.[3]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ Hevesi, Dennis (August 10, 2012). "Mel Stuart, 'Willy Wonka' Director, Dies at 83". NYTimes.com. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  2. ↑ Hevesi, Dennis (August 10, 2012). "Mel Stuart, 'Willy Wonka' Director, Dies at 83". NYTimes.com. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  3. ↑ Hevesi, Dennis (August 10, 2012). "Mel Stuart, 'Willy Wonka' Director, Dies at 83". NYTimes.com. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  4. ↑ Canby, Vincent (February 16, 1973). "Wattstax (1972) Film: 'Wattstax,' Record of Watts Festival Concert". The New York Times.

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