Name David Wolper | Role Television producer | |
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Full Name David Lloyd Wolper Occupation television and film Producer Spouse Gloria Hill (m. 1974–2010), Dawn Richard (m. 1958–1969), Toni Carroll (m. 1953–1955) Children Mark Wolper, Leslie Wolper, Michael Wolper Books Producer: A Memoir, The Inside Story of TV's "Roots" Movies and TV shows Willy Wonka & the Choc, North and South, Imagine: John Lennon, The Hellstrom Chronicle, The Bridge at Remagen Similar People Mel Stuart, Stan Margulies, Alex Haley, Jack Haley - Jr, Robert Guenette | ||
David l wolper television documentary pioneer
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 blockbuster Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). He also produced numerous documentaries and documentary series including Biography (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, Visions of Eight (1973), and others. Wolper 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.
Contents
- David l wolper television documentary pioneer
- David l wolper prods ufa international film tv prod warner bros international tv prod 1998
- Life and career
- Productions
- References
David l wolper prods ufa international film tv prod warner bros international tv prod 1998
Life and career
Wolper was born in New York City, the son of Anna (née Fass) and Irving S. Wolper. 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), while the post-1970 library (along with Wolper's production company, Wolper Productions, now known as The Wolper Organization) 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 their Sierra Pacific Airlines Corvair 440 slammed into the White Mountains shortly after takeoff 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 cause of the crash remains unsolved.
In 1988, Wolper was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Wolper died on August 10, 2010, of congestive heart disease and complications of Parkinson's disease at his Beverly Hills home. He was survived by his wife of 36 years, Gloria Hill, and his three children from a previous marriage: sons Mark and Michael Wolper and daughter Leslie. Wolper was also survived by ten grandchildren.
Productions
His company was involved in the following productions. He was a distributor of the early shows, and became an executive producer with The Race for Space in 1958.