Mel Stuart (born Stuart Solomon; September 2, 1928 – August 9, 2012) was an American film director and producer who often worked with producer

David L. Wolper David Lloyd Wolper (January 11, 1928 – August 10, 2010) was an American television and film producer, responsible for shows such as ''Roots'', '' The Thorn Birds'', and ''North and South'', and the theatrically-released films ''L.A. Confiden ...

, at whose production firm he worked for 17 years, before going freelance.

Early life

Stuart was born Stuart Solomon. He was of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

background.

Career

Stuart directed the fantasy-musical ''

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' by Roald Dahl. The fi ...

'' (1971). He directed other features, including '' If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' (1969), '' One Is a Lonely Number'' (1972) and '' Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135'' (2000). Stuart also directed feature documentaries including the 1964 Oscar-nominated JFK documentary ''

Four Days in November ''Four Days in November'' is a 1964 American documentary film directed by Mel Stuart about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Summary The film includes Dallas radio and tel ...

'' and the 1973 concert film ''

Wattstax ''Wattstax'' was a benefit concert organized by Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the 1965 riots in the African-American community of Watts, Los Angeles. The concert took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 20, ...

''. In addition he directed or produced over 180 films including movies of the week '' The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal'', ''Bill'', ''

The Chisholms ''The Chisholms'' is a CBS western miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used inter ...

'', and ''Ruby and Oswald'', the television series '' Ripley's Believe It or Not'', and the documentaries ''The Making of the President 1960'', ''1964'', and ''1968'', ''The Hobart Shakespeareans'', ''

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich ''The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany'' is a book by American journalist William L. Shirer in which the author chronicles the rise and fall of Nazi Germany from the birth of Adolf Hitler in 1889 to the end of World W ...

'', ''Man Ray — The Prophet of the Avant-Garde'', ''George Plimpton and the Philharmonic'', and ''The Poet's View''. He was also nominated for the made-for-TV production '' Bill'', starring Mickey Rooney.

Awards

He was awarded an Emmy award, 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 ...

nomination, a Peabody, and numerous other awards. Stuart also served as president of the International Documentary Association for two years.

Personal life

Stuart was born to Edgar and Cecille Solomon, graduated from New York University in 1949, and worked for an advertising company. Stuart married his first wife Harriet Rosalind Dolin on August 12, 1956. They had three children: Madeline, Peter, and Andrew. Madeline and Peter made appearances in ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' though only Peter was credited. Stuart and Dolin divorced in 1979. He married his second wife Roberta Silberman in 1985, and they stayed together until her death in 2011.

Death

On August 9, 2012, Stuart died at the age of 83 after suffering melanoma cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California. In addition to his three children from his first marriage, Andrew, Madeleine, and Peter, Stuart was also survived by two grandchildren, Maximilian Stuart and Eleanor Stuart.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1964) *'' If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' (1969) *'' I Love My Wife'' (1970) *''

'' (1971) *'' One Is a Lonely Number'' (1972) *''

'' (1974) *'' Brenda Starr'' (1976) (TV) *''

Welcome Back, Kotter ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial education class called the "Sweathogs." Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the seri ...

'' (1977) (TV) *'' Ruby and Oswald'' (1978) (TV) *''

Mean Dog Blues ''Mean Dog Blues'' is a 1978 American drama film directed by Mel Stuart. It stars Gregg Henry and Kay Lenz. Plot After hitchhiking a car ride with a drunken politician and his seductive wife, Paul Ramsey, a singer, offers to take the rap in cour ...

'' (1978) *'' The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal'' (1979) (TV) *''

'' (1980) (TV) *'' Sophia Loren: Her Own Story'' (1980) (TV) *'' The White Lions'' (1981)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, Mel 1928 births 2012 deaths American documentary filmmakers Film producers from New York (state) American people of Romanian-Jewish descent Deaths from cancer in California Emmy Award winners New York University alumni People from Manhattan Film directors from New York City