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John Leekley is an American writer, director and producer. He is one of the most prolific writer/producers in television. He received a Primetime Emmy Award for his work as executive producer/writer on the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
Original Series ''
Spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...
''. Leekley was creator/writer/executive producer of the series '' Kindred: The Embraced'' for the Fox Network, which is a cult favorite on the web. He started his television career as co-producer, writer, and creator of the landmark eight-hour CBS mini-series '' The Blue and The Gray'' (CBS), starring
Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...
as
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
, based on the novel of the same name, that he authored. He has also served as writer/producer for several highly regarded movies including ''In the Company of Darkness'' starring
Helen Hunt Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Hunt rose to fame portraying Jam ...
(CBS), ''
She Fought Alone ''She Fought Alone'' is a 1995 American television film directed by Christopher Leitch. The film, which is based on a true story, stars Tiffani Thiessen, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen and Brian Austin Green, who were known for ''Saved by the Bell'' and ' ...
'' (NBC) which was the first movie to confront the issue of date rape, ''Buried Secrets'' (NBC), the four-hour mini-series ''Night Sins'' (CBS) based on the best-selling novel of that name, and ''Mafia Doctor'' (CBS). He was the creator of the dark supernatural series ''
Wolf Lake ''Wolf Lake'' is an American supernatural drama television series that originally aired on CBS from September 19 to October 24, 2001. Nine episodes were produced, but only five aired before the series was canceled by CBS. The full series, includ ...
'' for CBS centering on teenagers in a small town in the Northwest who are changelings. He has also written and produced a number of other series for television. In 1996, he and his John Leekley Productions company signed to a exclusive production agreement with
MTM Enterprises MTM Enterprises (also known as MTM Productions) was an American independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' for CBS. The name for the productio ...
. Leekley wrote and directed the theatrical feature film '' The Prince of Central Park'', starring
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nominees
Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...
,
Kathleen Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards. Turner became widely k ...
, Danny Aiello, and
Cathy Moriarty Cathy Moriarty (born November 29, 1960) is an American actress and singer whose career spans over 40 years. For her work in Martin Scorsese's 1980 film ''Raging Bull'', she received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress ...
. He later completed the futuristic feature film script ''City of Night''. The story revolves around the survivors of a worldwide plague, who gather together in the Bowery of New York City, forming a new minority in America at the bottom of society, with their own mysterious night culture, the gangsters who rule it, and the cops who try to take it back. Leekley is also the best-selling author of fiction and non-fiction books. He is an historical author, having co-written ''Moments: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs'' and edited ''Reflections on the Civil War'', the last book by historian Bruce Catton. He completed the manuscript for a novel, ''Jazzmen'', an epic story about the jazz era from 1900 to the 1920s, set in New Orleans, the river boats, and amidst the mobsters of Chicago. Recently, he wrote the screenplay ''The White Rose'', a true story of medical students in Nazi Germany who formed the only national resistance movement against Hitler and the Gestapo. He is represented by the Kaplan Stahler Agency.


Filmography


As director

*''
Prince of Central Park ''Prince of Central Park'' is a 2000 family movie. The cast included Kathleen Turner, Danny Aiello, Harvey Keitel, and Cathy Moriarty. It was written and directed by John Leekley, and produced by Julius R. Nasso, Steven Seagal, and John P. ...
'' (2000)


As producer

*'' The Blue and the Gray'' (1982), associate producer *''Private Eye'' (1987), co-producer *''
Nightmare Cafe ''Nightmare Cafe'' is an American science-fiction television series which aired on NBC for an abridged first season from January to April 1992. While the overall tone of the program was that of a mystical fantasy, it frequently incorporated eleme ...
'' (1992), supervising producer *''In the Company of Darkness'' (1993), supervising producer *''Knight Rider 2010'' (1994), executive producer *''She Fought Alone'' (1995), producer *''The Omen'', 1995, executive producer *'' Kindred: The Embraced'' (1996), executive producer *'' Buried Secrets'' (1996), executive producer *''Buried Secrets'' (1996), executive producer *''Night Sins'' (1997), co-executive producer *''
Spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...
'' (1999), co-executive producer *''
Wolf Lake ''Wolf Lake'' is an American supernatural drama television series that originally aired on CBS from September 19 to October 24, 2001. Nine episodes were produced, but only five aired before the series was canceled by CBS. The full series, includ ...
'' (2001), executive producer *''Mafia Doctor'' (2003)


As writer

*''The Blue and the Gray'' (1982) *''In the Company of Darkness'' (1993) *''
Knight Rider 2010 ''Knight Rider 2010'' is a 1994 American science fiction action television film directed by Sam Pillsbury and written by John Leekley, loosely based on the television series ''Knight Rider''. The film stars Richard Joseph Paul, Heidi Leick, Mi ...
'' (1994) *''She Fought Alone'' (1995) *''The Omen'' (1995) *''Buried Secrets'' (1996) *''Kindred: The Embraced'' (1996) *''Night Sins'' (1997) *''Prince of Central Park'' (2000) *''Wolf Lake'' (2001) *''Spawn'' (1999) *''Mafia Doctor'' (2003) Leekley has also written episodes of ''
Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...
'', ''Nightmare Cafe'', and ''Private Eye''. In the 1990s he wrote a bible for a proposed ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' TV series but was ultimately unused.


Published works

*''Moments: the Pulitzer Prize photographs'' (coauthored with Sheryle Leekley, 1978) *''Reflections on the Civil War'' (edited for
Bruce Catton Charles Bruce Catton (October 9, 1899 – August 28, 1978) was an American historian and journalist, known best for his books concerning the American Civil War. Known as a narrative historian, Catton specialized in popular history, featuring int ...
, 1981) *''The Blue and the Gray : a novel'' (with Bruce Catton and Ian McLellan Hunter, 1982)


References


External links

* *http://www.johnleekley.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Leekley, John American male screenwriters American television producers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)