Ken Hannam (12 July 1929 – 16 November 2004) was an Australian film and television director who also worked in British television drama.

Career

Born in St Kilda, Melbourne, the eldest of three boys, Hannam lived in his youth in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and was educated at Wollaroi College in

Orange, New South Wales Orange is a city in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney on a great circle at an altitude of . Orange had an estimated urban population of 40,493 Estimated resident population, 3 ...

. He worked in Australian radio, theatre and television. He started in radio when 15 years of age. He was an announcer at 2SM. He appeared in theatre as an actor, and appeared in the first Philip Street Revue. In 1957 he took over the TV show '' Captain Fortune''. In 1968 he moved to England. He worked in English television, and returned to direct Australian feature films.David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p96-98

Feature Films

His first feature ''

Sunday Too Far Away ''Sunday Too Far Away'' is a 1975 Australian drama film directed by Ken Hannam. It belongs to the Australian Film Renaissance or the "Australian New Wave", which occurred during that decade. The film is set on a sheep station in the Australian o ...

'' (1975) marked the emergence of an internationally recognised Australian film industry. He went on to direct '' Summerfield'' (1977) and other films. His 1979 film '' Dawn!'' was entered into the

11th Moscow International Film Festival The 11th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 14 to 28 August 1979. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Italian-French film '' Christ Stopped at Eboli'' directed by Francesco Rosi, the Spanish film '' Siete días de enero'' directed ...

. In 1977 he said "I don't think I enjoy being a director in a way." The following year he did an interview where he criticised the state of Australian filmmaking and admitted "When I see a rough cut of a film I've done I'm usually suicidal." He called Australian television "glossy pap" and said "I think Australian actors generally are just full of superficial tricks." Hannam died of cancer aged 75 on 16 November 2004 in London. He was survived by his three wives, two brothers, two children and three grandchildren.Anthony Buckley, obituary: "A leader in the renaissance of Australia's film industry", ''The Age'', 2 December 2004, p. 9

Personal life

He married his first wife Lena Melocco in 1958; their daughter Vicki was born in 1960. His second wife was

Wendy Dickson Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...

, his art director on ''

Break of Day ''Break of Day'' (french: La Naissance du jour) is a 1928 novel by the French writer Colette. It was adapted into a 1980 film directed by Jacques Demy. Reception Elaine Marks reviewed the book for ''The New York Times'' in 1961: "It may well be th ...

'', whom he married in 1968. They divorced in 1985. His third wife was acto
Madlena Nevada
they married in 1990 and remained together until his death; they adopted a son, Christopher.

Filmography

Feature films directed

* ''

'' (1975) * ''

'' (1976) * '' Summerfield'' (1977) * '' Dawn!'' (1979) * ''

The Mismatch ''The Mismatch'' is a 1979 Australian television film about a separated couple.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p107 It screened on the ABC as part of a Season of Plays. Others in the series inc ...

'' (1979) (TV movie)

TV work

*'' Captain Fortune'' (1957) *'' The Story of Peter Gray'' (1962) *''Trad Jazz'' (1962) *''Jonah'' (1962) *'' Adventure Unlimited'' (1963) *''

I Have Been Here Before ''I Have Been Here Before'' is a play by J. B. Priestley, first produced by Lewis Casson at the Royalty Theatre, London, on 22 September 1937. Plot introduction At a rural inn on a Yorkshire moor, three people become involved in a strange confr ...

'' (1964) *''Macbeth in Camera'' (1964) *''

Split Level Split Level were a Christian rock band from Northern Ireland, active from 1986 to 2000. History Split Level first began their career in the mid-1980s, playing local Christian gatherings and festivals in Northern Ireland. A song of theirs appe ...

'' (1964) *'' The Recruiting Officer'' (1965) *''Contrabandits'' *'' Paul Temple'' (7 episodes, 1970–1971) *'' Spy Trap'' (8 episodes, 1972) *'' Moonbase 3'' (3 episodes, 1973) *'' Colditz'' (2 episodes, 1974) *'' The Day of the Triffids'' (6 episodes, 1981) *'' Robbery Under Arms'' (1985; co-directed with Donald Crombie) *''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

'' (3 episodes, 1986) *'' Boon'' (2 episodes, 1987) * ''Crossfire'' (TV drama) (1988) TV mini-series *'' Hannay'' (2 episodes, 1989) *'' Campion'' (2 episodes, 1990) *'' The House of Eliott'' (2 episodes, 1992) *''

Strathblair ''Strathblair '' is a period TV drama, which aired on BBC Television from 1992 to 1993. Premise Set in the 1950s in the aftermath of World War II, newlywed couple Alec and Jennifer Ritchie (Derek Riddell and Francesca Hunt) set up home on a di ...

'' (6 episodes, 1992–1993) *'' Soldier Soldier'' (3 episodes, 1995) *'' Dangerfield'' (4 episodes, 1997–1998) *'' The Bill'' (9 episodes, 2000–2001)

Theatre

*''One Way Pendulum'' (1962) - actor *''The Dock Brief'' (1964) - AMP Theatre, Sydney - director *''The Sponge Room'' (1964) - AMP Theatre, Sydney - director *''Something Unspoken'' (1965) - AMP Theatre, Sydney - director *''A Scent of Flowers'' by James Saunders (1968) - Independent - director

References

Notes

* 1929 births 2004 deaths Australian expatriates in England Australian film producers Australian television directors British television directors Film directors from Melbourne {{Australia-film-director-stub