John Kemeny (April 17, 1925 – November 23, 2012) was a Hungarian-born

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 producer whom the ''

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 pa ...

'' dubbed "the forgotten giant of

Canadian film Cinema in Canada dates back to the earliest known display of film in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, in 1896. The film industry in Canada has been dominated by the United States, which has utilized Canada as a shooting location and to bypass British fil ...

history." His production credits included the well-known 1974 film, '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'', which starred Richard Dreyfuss, directed by

Ted Kotcheff William Theodore Kotcheff (born April 7, 1931) is a Bulgarian-Canadian film and television director, writer and producer, known primarily for his work on British and American television productions such as '' Armchair Theatre'' and '' Law & Or ...

, based on a novel by

Mordecai Richler Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and '' Barney's Version'' (1997). His 1970 novel '' St. Urbain's Horseman'' and 1989 novel ...

. Kemeny also produced the 1980 romantic comedy, '' Atlantic City'', starring Burt Lancaster and

Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...

. Kemeny left Hungary after the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...

and moved to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, where he found work as a

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film ed ...

at the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

(NFB) in 1959. He went on to produce such NFB films as ''

Memorandum A memorandum ( : memoranda; abbr: memo; from the Latin ''memorandum'', "(that) which is to be remembered") is a written message that is typically used in a professional setting. Commonly abbreviated "memo," these messages are usually brief and ...

'', '' Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard Cohen'', ''

The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar ''The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar'' is a 1968 Canadian drama film directed by Peter Pearson and written by Joan Finnigan. The 49-minute drama stars Chris Wiggins and Kate Reid, along with Margot Kidder in her first feature role. ...

'' and ''

Don't Let the Angels Fall ''Don't Let the Angels Fall'' is a 1969 Canadian drama film directed by George Kaczender George Kaczender (19 April 1933 – 24 August 2016) was a Hungarian-born Canadian film director. He directed 26 films between 1963 and 2001. Biograp ...

'' until leaving the NFB in 1972 to work in the private sector. Kemeny died from cancer at his home in Sedona, Arizona, on November 23, 2012, at the age of 87.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kemeny, John 1925 births 2012 deaths Canadian film producers Hungarian emigrants to Canada People from Montreal People from Sedona, Arizona Film people from Budapest Canadian documentary film producers National Film Board of Canada people Deaths from cancer in Arizona