Sandra Levy is an Australian film and television producer who has worked in both public and commercial television.

Early life and family

Levy was born in Sydney. Her parents were Jewish communists from whom she inherited a love of the arts and a capacity for intellectual jousting. She married her second husband Australian television director Michael Carson in the 1970s. They had one son together, Simon, but the couple later divorced.

Career

Levy was born 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 ...

, New South Wales. She graduated from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

with a BA majoring in English literature. While at university she was a fringe member of the

Sydney Push The Sydney Push was an intellectual subculture in Sydney from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. Its politics were predominantly left-wing libertarianism. The Push operated in a pub culture and included university students, academics, manual w ...

. After a short period as a school teacher, Levy joined the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

as a trainee. In 1987 she was promoted to head of drama at ABC TV. From 1989 to 1998 she was head of drama at Southern Star Endemol. Levy returned to the ABC as director of television from 2001 to 2005. During her stewardship, the audience increased 24 per cent, due to the production of programs including '' Kath and Kim, Spicks and Specks,

Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...

'' and ''

The Chaser The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedy group, best known for their television programmes and satirical news masthead. The group take their name from their satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste. Th ...

''. In 2006 she joined Channel 9 as head of drama and a year later took over from Malcolm Long as CEO of the

Australian Film, Television and Radio School The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. The school is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority. History Establishe ...

for two four-year terms, stepping down on 24 June 2015.

Filmography (selected)

Film

* ''

High Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

'' (film) (1987) * ''

The Well The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, normally shortened to The WELL, was launched in 1985. It is one of the oldest continuously operating virtual communities. By 1993 it had 7,000 members, a staff of 12, and gross annual income of $2 million. ...

'' (1997 film)

Television

* ''

Palace of Dreams ''Palace of Dreams'' is a 1985 Australian fictional mini series about a Jewish family running a hotel in working class inner city of Sydney in the 1930s.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p221 S ...

'' (miniseries) (1985) * ''

The Alien Years ''The Alien Years'' is a three-part miniseries that first aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on 19 April 1988. It was directed by Donald Crombie and written by Peter Yeldham. It stars Victoria Longley, John Hargreaves, Christop ...

'' (miniseries) (1988) * '' True Believers'' (miniseries) (1988) * ''

Police Rescue ''Police Rescue'' is an Australian television series which originally aired on ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by ABC and Southern Star Xanadu in association with the BBC. Apart from the 61 episodes, there was a 90-minute pilo ...

'' (series) 1989–1996) * '' Children of the Dragon (miniseries) 1992

Honours and recognition

In 2010 Levy was awarded a Doctor of Letters honoris causa by

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of S ...

in recognition of her thirty years' work in film and television. Levy was made an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours for "distinguished service to the arts as a film and television director and producer, and through strategic leadership and educational roles".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Sandra Living people Australian television producers Officers of the Order of Australia Australian women film producers Australian women television producers Year of birth missing (living people)