Sterling Carl Campbell (1896/97 - September 6, 1990) was a Canadian aviator and film director best known for the 1947 film ''

Bush Pilot Bush flying refers to aircraft operations carried out in the bush. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormally ...

'', one of the first narrative feature films ever produced by a Canadian film production company. Campbell served in the Canadian Army during the First World War. He later worked in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, California as a technical and action

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

, including the films '' Wings'', ''Dawn Patrol'', '' Hell's Angels'', ''Air Circus'', ''Legion of the Condemned'', '' Forced Landing'' and '' Ceiling Zero'', and as an assistant to Cecil B. DeMille and

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A v ...

.Frank Chamberlain, "Simpson's Radio Column". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', January 24, 1946. He also had minor acting roles in the films ''Forced Landing'', '' Hands Across the Table'', '' Professional Soldier'' and ''

Love Is News ''Love Is News'' is a 1937 romantic comedy film starring Tyrone Power, Loretta Young, and Don Ameche. The movie was directed by Tay Garnett and was the first film for which Power had top billing. The picture was remade in 1947 as ''That Wonderf ...

''. He subsequently returned to Canada, where he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. He married Margaret Campbell, later a Toronto City Councillor and

Member of Provincial Parliament Member of Provincial Parliament is the title given to provincial legislators in two legislatures: * Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada) * Member of Provincial Parliament (Western Cape) In the Western Cape province of South Africa, Member of P ...

, in 1941."Lives Lived: Margaret Elizabeth Fasken Baird Campbell". ''

'', May 6, 1999. With Geoffrey Wood,

Larry Cromien Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment *Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer * Larry Boone ...

and

Austin Willis Alexander Austin Willis, (30 September 1917 – 4 April 2004) was a Canadian actor and television host. Biography Austin was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia to parents Alexander Samuel and Emma Graham (Pushie) Willis. His older brother, J. Fran ...

, Campbell launched Dominion Productions in 1946."Canadian Outfit Enters Film Field With Bush Picture". ''

'', May 31, 1946. ''Bush Pilot'' was the company's first film. Due to poorer than expected revenues, however, the company never released another film under their management, and was subsequently acquired by Arthur Gotlieb. Campbell ran for a Toronto City Council seat in the 1956 municipal election, but fell while campaigning, exacerbating an old war injury and remaining bedridden for several months;"Worked as lawyer, judge, politician, and spy: Fought for gay and women's rights starting in the 1970s". ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with M ...

'', April 26, 1999. despite having effectively dropped his campaign, he finished third behind the winners, William Dennison and

May Birchard May Birchard (died July 30, 1968) was a municipal politician and poverty activist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Born in Toronto, she married F.J. Birchard, an agricultural scientist who was an expert on grain. During the First World War the family m ...

, and ahead of incumbent councillor

Edgar Roxborough Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...

. In the subsequent 1958 municipal election, Margaret Campbell ran for council instead, winning the seat and beginning her own long career in politics. His son Sterling Campbell, Jr. was a city councillor and Member of Provincial Parliament in

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

in the 1970s and 1980s. He died on September 6, 1990 in Toronto."Deaths: Campbell, Sterling Carl". ''

'', September 7, 1990.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Sterling 1890s births 1990 deaths Canadian male film actors Canadian Air Force personnel Canadian people of World War I Canadian people of World War II Canadian aviators Film directors from Toronto Male actors from Toronto 20th-century Canadian male actors