Anthony Kramreither (August 7, 1926 – February 8, 1993) was an
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n-
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
film and television actor and producer."OBITUARY: Anthony Kramreither Toronto film producer". ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', February 12, 1993. Primarily known as a producer of low-budget horror and exploitation films such as '' Thrillkill'', ''The Giant Spider Invasion'' and '' Humongous'',"Low-budget film-maker a dark horse". ''
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', August 31, 1986. he was most noted as producer of the 1986 film '' Dancing in the Dark'', which was a
Genie Award
The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...
nominee for
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
8th Genie Awards
The 8th Annual Genie Awards were held on March 18, 1987 to honour Canadian films made the previous year.Greg Quill, "Decline rises to top Genie nominations". ''Toronto Star'', February 5, 1987.
The awards were dominated by Denys Arcand's ''The De ...
in 1987."Arcand's Decline tops Genie nominations with 13". ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', February 5, 1987.
Originally from
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, Kramreither was a stage actor in Austria and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
before moving to Canada in 1954. In Canada, he had television acting roles in series such as ''
Wojeck
''Wojeck'' is a Canadian dramatic television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1966 to 1968. It was arguably the first successful drama series on English Canadian television.
Plot
Steve Wojeck is a crusading big city coroner who regul ...
'', ''
Quentin Durgens, M.P.
''Quentin Durgens, M.P.'' is a Canadian dramatic television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1965 to 1969.R.C.M.P.'', ''
Adventures in Rainbow Country
''Adventures in Rainbow Country'' was a Canadian television series, which aired on CBC Television in the 1970-71 TV season. Reruns were later shown on the American children's cable channel Nickelodeon during the early 1980s. A half hour family d ...
Change of Mind
''Change of Mind'' is a 1969 science fiction/drama film starring Raymond St. Jacques, Susan Oliver, Janet MacLachlan, and Leslie Nielsen.
Plot
A married couple struggles to adjust when the husband, dying of cancer, has his brain transplanted in ...
'', ''Silent Friends'' and ''Babysitters'', before launching his own production company, Brightstar Films, in 1972.
With Brightstar, he aspired to make serious, artistically accomplished films; his first project was a television documentary series about
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
winners, and his second was the family film ''
Lions for Breakfast
''Lions for Breakfast'' is a Canadian family drama film, directed by William Davidson and released in 1975.Bryan Johnson, "Heartwarming drama comes up cold". ''The Globe and Mail'', November 25, 1975. The film centres on two brothers, 22-year old ...
''."The movie-maker's secret Toronto producer: Tony Kramreither is focusing on life's bright side despite battle with Parkinson's". ''
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', January 19, 1990. To make money for the firm, however, he also agreed to make several low-budget commercial horror films, which quickly came to define his studio's reputation and eclipse his original ambitions. In 1983, he produced, directed and cowrote the comedy film '' All in Good Taste'', a deliberate parody of the gap between his own goals as a producer and the low-budget mass market compromises that he was forced to make; the film would also later become noted as one of the first-ever film roles for comedic actor
Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...
.
When
Don Haig
Don Haig (22 July 1933 — 2 March 2002) was a Canadian filmmaker, editor, and producer.
His work in film and television spanned nearly five decades. Over the course of his career, he won Academy, Genie, and Gemini awards, and the Governor Gener ...
approached him for assistance in raising funds for ''Dancing in the Dark'', he accepted the opportunity to move back into more serious filmmaking; with its screening at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
in 1986, it became the first Kramreither-produced film to premiere at a major film festival. Other more ambitious films he produced around the same time included ''
Flying
Flying may refer to:
* Flight, the process of flying
* Aviation, the creation and operation of aircraft
Music
Albums
* ''Flying'' (Grammatrain album), 1997
* ''Flying'' (Jonathan Fagerlund album), 2008
* ''Flying'' (UFO album), 1971
* ''Fl ...
'', ''
Confidential
Confidentiality involves a set of rules or a promise usually executed through confidentiality agreements that limits the access or places restrictions on certain types of information.
Legal confidentiality
By law, lawyers are often required ...
Concrete Angels
''Concrete Angels'' is a Canadian musical drama film, directed by Carlo Liconti and released in 1987."Concrete Angels fail to beat odds in T.O.". ''Toronto Star'', December 4, 1987. Set in 1964, the film centres on a group of teenagers in a worki ...
''.
In the late 1980s, he was diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
. His final film as a producer was the 1991 film ''White Light'', directed by
Al Waxman
Albert Samuel Waxman, (March 2, 1935 – January 18, 2001) was a Canadian actor and director of over 1,000 productions on radio, television, film, and stage. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series ''King of Kensington' ...
; in the same year, he won a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Film and Television Production Association.
He died on February 8, 1993, at his home in Richmond Hill.
Filmography
''He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.''
Film
;As an actor
;As director
;As writer
;Miscellaneous crew