Kim Manners

Kim Manners (January 13, 1951 – January 25, 2009) was an American television producer, director and actor best known for his work on ''The X-Files'' and ''Supernatural''.

Early life

Kim Manners was raised in a show business family. His father, Sam Manners (born Savino Maneri in Cleveland, Ohio) had production credits on shows such as ''The Wild Wild West'' and '' Route 66''. Manners did some acting as a child; his first role was at the age of three in a Chevrolet commercial. He also watched and occasionally participated in his father's work as well as the work of William Beaudine, director of ''The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin''. It was Beaudine who inspired Manners to become a director.

Manners' brother, Kelly, has production and directorial credits on ''Angel'', ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Dollhouse'' and his sister, Tana, works as a television director.

Career

Manners made his directorial debut in 1978 at age 27, directing an episode of '' Charlie's Angels''. Prior to this, he had worked as unit production manager on the show and as an assistant director on a handful of other projects. Other notable directorial credits to Manners' name include episodes of '' 21 Jump Street'', '' Mission: Impossible'', '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', ''Baywatch'', ''K-9000'', and ''The Commish''.

Manners left his directing job at Stephen J. Cannell Productions in 1993 to work on the television series '' The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'' He directed 7 of the series' 27 episodes, more than any other director for the show. He joked that he was the series' "mascot director". He was happy with the work for the series, and felt that it "stretched" him creatively. He said, "It really woke me up as a director, almost spiritually…" and that directing for ''Brisco'' was a large contributing factor to his later success as a regular director on ''The X-Files''.

Manners signed on to produce and direct ''The X-Files'' in the show's second season at the advice of Rob Bowman, who had worked on the show in its first season, and James Wong and Glen Morgan, who were writers for the show and had previously worked with Manners on ''21 Jump Street''.

Manners, along with his fellow producers on ''The X-Files'', was nominated for four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Manners was referenced in the ''X-Files'' episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" with a foul-mouthed police detective named after him. Following the finale of ''The X-Files'' in 2002, Manners directed a number of small projects before signing on to direct and produce ''Supernatural'' in 2005.

Death and memorial

Manners died of lung cancer in Los Angeles, on January 25, 2009, 12 days after his 58th birthday.

The closing credits of the ''Supernatural'' season four episode "Death Takes a Holiday", which aired on March 12, 2009, showed two photos of Manners, along with the caption "We dedicate the entire season to Kim Manners" and a message stating, "We miss you, Kim." The fifth episode of the second season of AMC's '' Breaking Bad'', titled "Breakage", which premiered on April 5, 2009, featured a dedication to Manners in the end credits, which stated "Dedicated to our Friend Kim Manners". The episode "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster", from the revival season for ''The X Files'' which aired on February 1, 2016, features a scene where Mulder sits against Manners' gravestone, inscribed with Manners' real date of birth and death, and the phrase, "Let's Kick It in the Ass."

Filmography

References

External links

*

Supernatural Wiki
entry about Manners with links to interviews and tributes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manners, Kim
1951 births
2009 deaths
American television directors
American television producers
Deaths from lung cancer in California