Kieth W. Merrill (born May 22, 1940) is an American filmmaker who has worked as a writer, director, and producer in the film industry since 1967. He is a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

and the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

, and received an

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 ...

for '' The Great American Cowboy'' (1973) and a nomination for ''

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

'' (1997). He published a novel, ''The Evolution of Thomas Hall'', through

Shadow Mountain The Shadow Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert of eastern California in the United States. The mountains lie in a generally north–south direction south of the Kingston Range and east of the Avawatz Mountains and the Silurian Hills. An ...

in 2011. His first fantasy novel, ''The Immortal Crown'', was published by Shadow Mountain in 2016.

Biography

The son of artist/landscape architect David Merrill and playwright/actress Leola Green Merrill, Kieth Merrill was born and raised in

Farmington, Utah Farmington is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. The population was 24,531 at the 2020 census. The Lagoon Amusement Park and Station Park transit-oriented retail center (which includes a FrontRunner train station) are located in Farmi ...

, a small, pioneer-founded town 20 miles north of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. As an active member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

, he served as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

for the church in Denmark for two-and-a-half years. Merrill graduated in 1967 with a bachelor's degree from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU). He is married to Dagny Johnson, and they are the parents of eight children. They reside in Northern California. Merrill was commissioned by the LDS Church's

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

to produce the films ''

Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

'' and ''

The Testaments ''The Testaments'' is a 2019 novel by Margaret Atwood. It is the sequel to ''The Handmaid's Tale'' (1985). The novel is set 15 years after the events of ''The Handmaid's Tale''. It is narrated by Aunt Lydia, a character from the previous novel; A ...

'' for the state-of-the-art 70 mm Legacy Theater at

Temple Square Temple Square is a complex, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediately ...

in Salt Lake City. Merrill has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Southern Virginia University and president of the BYU Alumni Association. He received the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Award from BYU when he delivered the

commencement address A commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions and in similar institutions around the world. The commencement ...

to the

BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications The BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC) is one of nine colleges at Brigham Young University, a private university operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and located in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1925, the college ...

in 2007. In 2021, his refusal to watch ''

Never Rarely Sometimes Always ''Never Rarely Sometimes Always'' is a 2020 drama film written and directed by Eliza Hittman. It stars Sidney Flanigan (in her acting debut), Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold and Sharon Van Etten. It had its world premiere at t ...

'' for Academy Awards consideration as a voting member garnered some attention.

Filmography

Merrill has done work in various formats, including

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

and 70mm. He has created feature films, documentaries, television commercials, and miniseries. *'' The Great American Cowboy'' (1973 Documentary Academy Award Winner) *''A Matter of Winning'' (1973) *''Great American Indian'' (1976) *'' Three Warriors'' (1977) *'' Take Down'' (1979) *''Kenny Rogers and the American Cowboy'' (1979) *'' Windwalker'' (1980) *'' Mr. Krueger's Christmas'' (1980) *''Wheels of Fire'' (1981) *'' Harry's War'' (1981) *''Rivals'' (1981) *''The Cherokee Trail'' (1981) *'' Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets'' (1984, IMAX) *'' Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic'' (1986, IMAX) *''Alamo: The Price of Freedom'' (1988) *''

'' (1990) *''Polynesian Odyssey'' (1991, IMAX) *''On The Way Home'' (1992) *''The Wild West'' (1993, TV miniseries, Emmy nomination) *''Yellowstone'' (1994, IMAX) *''Passion for Life'' (1995, IMAX) *''Ozarks: Legacy and Legends'' (1995, IMAX) *''San Francisco: The Movie'' (1995, IMAX) *''Zion Canyon: Treasure of the Gods'' (1996, IMAX) *''

'' (1997, IMAX, nominated for Academy Award) *''The Witness'' (1997, IMAX) *''Olympic Glory'' (1999, IMAX) *''

'' (2000) *''The 12 Dogs of Christmas'' (2005) * ''The 12 Dogs of Christmas – Great Puppy Rescue'' (2012)

Bibliography

*''The Evolution of Thomas Hall'' (May 2011, ,

) *''Saga of Kings'' series **''The Immortal Crown'' (May 2016, , Shadow Mountain)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, Kieth 1940 births 20th-century Mormon missionaries American film producers American documentary filmmakers Latter Day Saints from California American Mormon missionaries in Denmark Brigham Young University alumni Living people People from Farmington, Utah Directors of Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners Latter Day Saints from Utah Film directors from Utah American male novelists