Download a pdf version of this release BIOGRAPHY - "WATTSTAX" DIRECTOR MEL STUART Mel Stuart was born in New York, and aspired to a career in music. However, after graduating from New York University he decided to pursue a career as a filmmaker. In 1960, David Wolper asked him to join a newly formed production company. For the following 17 years, Mr. Stuart served as a key executive with the Wolper Organization. During that time he produced and directed dozens of documentaries - - among them "The Making of the President," "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," "Four Days in November" and "Wattstax." He also directed various features including "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium." In 1977 the Wolper organization was acquired by Warner Brothers. Since that time, Mr. Stuart has been an independent producer and director. Among his productions have been documentaries such as "Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-garde" and "Billy Wilder - The Human Comedy" for PBS, "AFI’s 100 Years-100 Movies," "Inside the KGB" and the reality series, "Ripley’s Believe It or Not." He also worked in long-form television, producing or directing various television dramas such as "Bill," "The Triangle Factory Fire" and "Ruby and Oswald." Mr. Stuart served as President of the International Documentary Association for two years and has been the recipient of many Emmy Awards, a Peabody award and an Oscar Nomination for his work. In November 2002, Stuart published "Pure Imagination: The Making of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," a compendium of facts, photos and film stills concerning one of his most popular directorial efforts. (St. Martin's Press; ISBN: 0312287771) He is currently producing a one-hour television special, "Still Perfect- 20 Memorable Photographs" and a series on living American poets. MEL STUART - FILM AND TELEVISION CREDITS RECENT PRODUCER-DIRECTOR CREDITS John Ashbery – A Poet’s View (Academy of American Poets) 2002 Still Perfect – Memorable Photographs of the 20th Century - Trio 2002 W. S. Merwin - A Poet’s View (Academy of American Poets) 2001 Seeing Stars - BBC BBC- A Window on the World - BBC-Discovery - Two hours 2000 Running on the Sun - Feature Documentary 1999 AFI’s 100 Years-100 Movies -Ten Part Series - TNT 1998 Billy Wilder - The Human Comedy - PBS American Masters 1997 Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant Garde- PBS American Masters 1996 Inside the KGB - (2 hour NBC special) 1995 FEATURE FILMS Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Paramount) Director If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (UA) Director One Is a Lonely Number (MGM) Director I Love My Wife (Universal) Director Wattstax (Columbia) Prod.-Director The White Lions (ABC) Director Four Days in November (UA) (Documentary) Prod.-Director. DOCUMENTARY SPECIALS The Making of the President - 1960,1964,1968 (ABC,CBS) Prod.- Director The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (ABC) Exec. Producer China - The Roots of Madness (CBS) Prod.- Director Life Goes to the Movies (NBC) Prod.- Director Cary Grant, A Celebration - with Michael Caine (ABC) Prod.- Director Love from A to Z - with Liza Minelli & Charles Aznavour Director George Plimpton and the N.Y. Philharmonic (NBC) Prod.- Director TELEVISION DRAMATIC FILMS Bill - 2 hour film (CBS) Producer Sophia Loren, Her Own Story - 3 hour film (NBC) Director Ruby and Oswald - 3 hour film (CBS) Director The Triangle Factory Fire - 2 hour film (NBC) Director The Chisholms - 12 hour mini-series (CBS) Director TELEVISION " REALITY" SERIES Ripley’s Believe It or Not - 79 hour episodes (ABC) Exec.Prod.- Dir. The 3M Specials - 8 hours (ABC) Exec.Prod.- Dir. The Best of the Worst- ( Fox Television Series) Exec. Producer The Story of.....26 half hours - Syndicated Exec.Prod.- Dir. AWARDS Among the many acknowledgments of his work have been four Emmies, a Peabody Award, and an Oscar Nomination. For two years he served as President of the International Documentary Association. He has been a guest lecturer on the subject of film and video production at various universities. Download a pdf version of this release