Harley Cokeliss (born Harley Louis Cokliss, February 11, 1945) is an American director, writer and producer of film and television.
Early life
Originally brought up in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, he moved to
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
in 1966 to study at the
London Film School
London Film School (LFS) is a film school in London and is situated in a converted brewery in Covent Garden, London, neighbouring Soho, a hub of the UK film industry. It is the oldest film school in the UK. , and spent the majority of his career in the UK.
Career
Cokeliss started making documentaries for British television in 1970, including the first filmed version of
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard (15 November 193019 April 2009) was an English novelist, short story writer, satirist, and essayist known for provocative works of fiction which explored the relations between human psychology, technology, sex, and mass medi ...
's story ''Crash!''. Papers relating to the film ''Crash!'' are available at the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
(Add MS 89171/1). Cokeliss's initial treatment and Ballard's draft script for ''Crash!'' are published in ''Crash: The Collector's Edition,'' ed. Chris Beckett. Cokeliss later graduated to making feature films, serving as
second unit director
Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...
on ''
The Empire Strikes Back
''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...
'' before helming films like ''
Battletruck
''Battletruck'' (also known as ''Warlords of the 21st Century'' in the U.S. and '' Destructors'' in Italy) is a 1982 New Zealand post-apocalyptic science fiction action film co-written and directed by Harley Cokliss and starring Michael Beck, An ...
'', ''
Black Moon Rising
''Black Moon Rising'' is a 1986 science fiction action thriller film directed by Harley Cokliss, written by John Carpenter, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Hamilton, Robert Vaughn, Keenan Wynn, and Richard Jaeckel. The plot revolves around ...
'', and ''
Malone
Malone is an Irish surname. From the Irish "''Mael Eóin''", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John.
People
* Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (died 1127), historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, Ó Maoil Eoin
* Adrian Malone (1937–2 ...
''. He wrote and directed the 1988 horror film ''
Dream Demon''.
[Chibnall, Steve; Petley, Julian (2002). British Horror Cinema. Routledge. p. 6.] He has directed episodes of various television series, including ''
The New Adventures of Robin Hood
''The New Adventures of Robin Hood'' is an action adventure television series that premiered on January 13, 1997, on TNT. The show was based on the legend of Robin Hood, the English folk hero, and was filmed in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was produce ...
'', ''
CI5: The New Professionals'', and ''
Xena: Warrior Princess''.
Filmography
Film
*''Chicago Blues'' (1970) – producer and director
*''Six Reels of Film to Be Shown in Any Order'' (1971) – assistant director
*''The Battle of Billy's Pond'' (1976) – director and writer
*''
The Glitterball
''The Glitterball'' is a 1977 British sci-fi children's film made by Mark Forstater Productions for the Children's Film Foundation. It was directed by Harley Cokeliss, credited under his birth name of Harley Cokliss. The film was screened at th ...
'' (1977) – director and writer
*''
That Summer!
''That Summer!'' is a 1979 British drama film directed by Harley Cokeliss and starring Ray Winstone, Tony London, Emily Moore and Julie Shipley. It was Ray Winstone's theatrical film debut, playing the character Steve Brodie.
Plot
It is the sto ...
'' (1979) – director
*''
The Empire Strikes Back
''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...
'' (1980) –
studio second unit director
*''
Warlords of the 21st Century'' (1982) – director
*''
Black Moon Rising
''Black Moon Rising'' is a 1986 science fiction action thriller film directed by Harley Cokliss, written by John Carpenter, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Hamilton, Robert Vaughn, Keenan Wynn, and Richard Jaeckel. The plot revolves around ...
'' (1986) – director
*''
Malone
Malone is an Irish surname. From the Irish "''Mael Eóin''", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John.
People
* Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (died 1127), historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, Ó Maoil Eoin
* Adrian Malone (1937–2 ...
'' (1987) – director
*''
Dream Demon'' (1988) – director and writer
*''
Pilgrim
A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...
'' (2000) – director and writer
*''
Paris Connections
''Paris Connections'' is a 2010 British film directed by Harley Cokeliss. The script was written by Michael Tupy, based on a thriller by Jackie Collins. The film was the first direct to DVD film that the British supermarket firm Tesco produced, ...
'' (2010) – director
Television
* ''Crash!'' (1971) –
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' (1997) – director; 3 episodes
*''The Ruby Ring'' (1997) – director; television film
*''
'' (2001) – director; 2 episodes
*''An Angel for May'' (2002) – director; television film