Melvin Damski (born July 21, 1946 in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

) is an American director and producer of film and television.

Life and career

Mel Damski (born in New York, New York) is an American film director and film producer. Damski has Northern European Jewish heritage, one of four children of German refugee parents. Damski grew up in Roslyn, Long Island, New York and attended

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

on a football scholarship. He was a reporter for Long Island ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'' before moving to Los Angeles to attend the

AFI Conservatory The AFI Conservatory is a private not-for-profit graduate film school in the Hollywood Hills district of Los Angeles. Students (called "Fellows") learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on st ...

in 1972. Damski was the Producing-Director of ''Psych''. In addition to his long directing career, including 29 movies and scores of episodes, he has taught film and television at NYU, USC and AFI. He is also President of Lyrique Wine Company, a small family owned winery. In 1998, Damski, along with Andrea Blaugrund, was nominated for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

for Best Short Documentary for the film '' Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies''.Complete List of Nominees "Mel Damski and Andrea Blaugrund"
at www.latimes.com In 1981, Damski was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding directing in a drama series for '' American Dream''.Mel Damski Emmy nominations
at www.emmys.com In 1979, Damski was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding directing in a drama series for the television series ''

Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character ...

'' (1977) for the episode "Murder". Damski's column "If I Ran The Zoo" runs every Wednesday in the '' La Conner Weekly News'' and a week later on his blog.

Selected filmography

*''Long Journey Back'' (1978) (TV) * ''M*A*S*H'', episode "Out of Gas" (1978) (TV) *''

'' (1977-1978) (TV series) *'' A Perfect Match'' (1980) (TV) *'' Word of Honor'' (1981) (TV) *'' American Dream'' (1981) (TV) *''

For Ladies Only ''For Ladies Only'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in November 1971, by Dunhill Records. It is a political concept album mainly about feminism but with several more conventional so ...

'' (1981) (TV) *''

Yellowbeard ''Yellowbeard'' is a 1983 British comedy film directed by Mel Damski and written by Graham Chapman, Peter Cook, Bernard McKenna, and David Sherlock, with an ensemble cast featuring Chapman, Cook, Peter Boyle, Cheech & Chong, Martin Hewitt, Mi ...

'' (1983) *''

Attack on Fear ''Attack on Fear'' is a 1984 American made-for-television drama film directed by Mel Damski and starring Paul Michael Glaser, Linda Kelsey, Kevin Conway and Barbara Babcock. It premiered on CBS on October 10, 1984. The teleplay by T.S. Cook is ...

'' (1984) (TV) *''

Mischief Mischief or malicious mischief is the name for a criminal offenses that is defined differently in different legal jurisdictions. While the wrongful acts will often involve what is popularly described as vandalism, there can be a legal differenti ...

'' (1985) *''

Badge of the Assassin ''Badge of the Assassin'' is a 1985 television film starring James Woods, Yaphet Kotto and Alex Rocco. It was directed by Mel Damski. The film first aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System network on November 2, 1985. The film's production comp ...

'' (1985) (TV) *''

The Three Kings "The Three Kings", or "Three Kings From Persian Lands Afar", is a Christmas carol by the German composer Peter Cornelius. He set "Die Könige" for a vocal soloist, accompanied by Philip Nicolai's hymn " Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" ("H ...

'' (1987) (TV) *'' Happy Together'' (1989) *'' Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure'' (1989) (TV) *''

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The book was originally titled ''A Yankee in King Arthur's Court''. Some early editions are titled ''A Yankee at the Court of King Arth ...

'' (1989) (TV) *''The Girl Who Came Between Them'' (1990) (TV) *''

Blood River Blood River ( af, Bloedrivier; zu, Ncome) is situated in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This river has its sources in the hills south-east of Utrecht; leaving the highlands it is joined by two important tributaries that originate in the Schurvebe ...

'' (1991) (TV) *''

Class of '96 ''Class of '96'' is an American drama series that aired on Fox from January to May 1993. The series was created by John Romano and filmed mostly at the University of Toronto. Synopsis The series focused on seven students at Havenhurst College in ...

'' (1993) (TV series) *''

Picket Fences ''Picket Fences'' is an American family drama television series about the residents of the town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS televisio ...

'' (1992-1993) (TV series) *'' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' (1994) (TV series) (episode: "

Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

") *''

Harts of the West Harts of the West is a humorous contemporary western about a Chicago family moving to a run-down Nevada ranch. The series consisted of 15 hour-long episodes that aired on CBS Saturdays, 9:00 to 10:00 p.m., from September 1993 until June 1994. ...

'' (1994) (TV series) (episode: "Hart's Vacation") *''

Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ...

'' (1994) (TV series) (unknown episodes) *''

American Gothic ''American Gothic'' is a 1930 painting by Grant Wood in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Wood was inspired to paint what is now known as the ''American Gothic'' House in Eldon, Iowa, along with "the kind of people efancied shoul ...

'' (1995) (TV series) (unknown episodes) *'' Nowhere Man'' (1996) (TV series) *''

Early Edition ''Early Edition'' is an American fantasy comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996, to May 27, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each ''Chicago Sun-Times'' ...

'' (1996) (TV series) (unknown episodes) *''The Care and Handling of Roses'' (1996) (TV) *''Their Second Chance'' (1997) (TV) *'' Pacific Palisades'' (1997) (TV series) *'' Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies'' (1997) *''

Vengeance Unlimited ''Vengeance Unlimited'' is an American crime drama series broadcast during 1998–1999 on ABC which lasted for one season of sixteen episodes. The show starred Michael Madsen and Kathleen York. Premise Mr. Chapel was a mysterious stranger ke ...

'' (1998) (TV series) *'' Love Boat: The Next Wave'' (1998-1999) (TV series) *''

Ally An ally is a member of an alliance. Ally may also refer to: Place names * Ally, Cantal, a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France * Ally, County Tyrone, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Ally, Haute-Loire, a commun ...

'' (1999) (TV series) (unknown episodes) *''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy in 1 ...

'' (1998-2000) (TV series) *''

Boston Public ''Boston Public'' is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school in the Boston Public Schools district. It features ...

'' (2000) (TV series) *''

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Ga ...

'' (2000) (TV series) *''The Clark Family'' (2001) (TV) *'' Ally McBeal'' (1997-2001) (TV series) *''

The Tick ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (2002) (TV series) (episode: "The Tick vs. Justice") *''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' (2002) (TV series) *''

Everwood ''Everwood'' (known as ''Our New Life in Everwood'' in the United Kingdom) is an American drama television series created by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti, Mickey Liddell, Rina Mimoun, Andrew A. Ackerman and Michael Green served as executive producer ...

'' (2003) (TV series) *''

Without a Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...

'' (2003) (TV series) *''

1-800-Missing ''Missing'' (originally titled ''1-800-Missing'') is a Canadian crime drama television series based on the ''1-800-WHERE-R-YOU'' book series by Meg Cabot. The series aired on the A network and W Network in Canada, and on Lifetime in the United ...

'' (2003) (TV series) *''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...

'' (2003) (TV series) *''

Darcy's Wild Life ''Darcy's Wild Life'' is a teen sitcom starring Sara Paxton, and broadcast on Discovery Kids in the United States, and the Family Channel in Canada, from October 2004 to March 2006. The show also aired on NBC as part of the Discovery Kids on NBC ...

'' (2004-2006) (TV series) (episodes: "Darcy's Wild Life", "Puppy Love" and "Swine Flew the Coop") *''

Kevin Hill ''Kevin Hill'' is an American legal drama that aired on UPN from September 29, 2004 to May 18, 2005. It was filmed and produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Synopsis The series stars Taye Diggs as the title character, a lawyer who has to balanc ...

'' (2004) (TV series) *'' Point Pleasant'' (2005) (TV series) *''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, t ...

'' (2004-2005) (TV series) *''

Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast ...

'' (1999-2006) (TV series) *''

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

'' (2006) (TV series) *'' Beautiful People'' (2006) (TV series) *''

The Wedding Bells ''The Wedding Bells'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox from March 2 to April 6, 2007. The series was greenlighted after the network became interested in a series centered on wedding planners. The network approache ...

'' (2007) (TV series) *''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observ ...

'' (2006-2014) (TV series) *''

Legendary Legendary may refer to: * Legend, a folklore genre * Legendary (hagiography) ** Anjou Legendarium * J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium Film and television * ''Legendary'' (film), a 2010 American sports drama film * ''Legendary'', a 2013 film fea ...

'' (2010) *''Coming Home for Christmas'' (2017)

References

Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors: Volume 1 - Page 112New York Times Movies & TV Database

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Damski, Mel 1946 births Film producers from New York (state) American people of Russian-Jewish descent AFI Conservatory alumni American television directors Living people People from Manhattan Film directors from New York City