William Dear (born November 30, 1943) is a Canadian actor, director, producer and screenwriter.New York Times
/ref> He is known for directing the films ''

Harry and the Hendersons ''Harry and the Hendersons'' is a 1987 American fantasy comedy film directed and produced by William Dear and starring John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Don Ameche, David Suchet, Margaret Langrick, Joshua Rudoy, Lainie Kazan, and Kevin Peter Hall. ...

'', '' If Looks Could Kill'', '' Angels in the Outfield'', '' Wild America'', and '' Santa Who?''. He also directed episodes of the television series ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'', ''

Television Parts ''Michael Nesmith in Television Parts'' is a summer TV series run by NBC in 1985. It was a 30-minute comedy-variety series created by Michael Nesmith as a continuation of his Grammy Award-winning video production ''Elephant Parts'', and earlie ...

'', ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...

'', ''

Dinosaurs Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

'', ''

Covington Cross ''Covington Cross'' is a television series that was broadcast on ABC in the United States from August 25 to October 31, 1992. The series was created by Gil Grant, who was also executive producer. The pilot episode also aired in the United Kingdo ...

'', and '' The Wannabes Starring Savvy''. Dear was born on November 30, 1943, in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. He is the father of actor and storyboard artist, Oliver Dear.

Filmography

Director

* ''

Nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

'' (1973) * '' Northville Cemetery Massacre'' (1976) * ''

PopClips ''PopClips'' is a music video television program, the direct predecessor of MTV. Former Monkee Mike Nesmith conceived the first music-video program as a promotional device for Warner Communications' record division. Production began in the s ...

'' (1980) * ''

Elephant Parts ''Elephant Parts'' is a collection of comedy sketches and music videos made in 1981 by Michael Nesmith, formerly of the Monkees. Nesmith produced the video through his company Pacific Arts. ''Elephant Parts'' is one hour long with parody commerci ...

'' (1981) * '' Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann'' (1982) * ''

'' (1987) * '' If Looks Could Kill'' (1991) * ''

Journey to the Center of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...

'' (1993) * '' Angels in the Outfield'' (1994) * '' Wild America'' (1997) * '' Balloon Farm'' (1999) * '' Santa Who?'' (2000) * '' School of Life'' (2005) * ''

Simon Says Simon Says is a children's game for three or more players. One player takes the role of "Simon" and issues instructions (usually physical actions such as "jump in the air" or "stick out your tongue") to the other players, which should be follow ...

'' (2006) * ''

The Foursome ''The Foursome'' is a 2006 American/Canadian comedy film. It is about four college friends who reconnect at their 20-year college reunion on the golf course. The film stars Kevin Dillon, John Shaw, Chris Gauthier and Paul Jarrett. The film was di ...

'' (2006) * '' The Sandlot: Heading Home'' (2007) * '' Free Style'' (2008) * ''

The Perfect Game ''The Perfect Game'' is a 2009 American drama film directed by William Dear, based on the 2008 book of the same name written by W. William Winokur. The film is based on the events leading to the 1957 Little League World Series, which was won by t ...

'' (2009) * '' Mr. Troop Mom'' (2009) * ''

Politics of Love ''Politics of Love'' (also known as ''Love Barack'') is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by William Dear. Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat and American actor Brian J. White play leading roles. Plot The film involves the unexpected romance ...

'' (2011) * ''

A Mile in His Shoes ''A Mile in His Shoes'' is a 2011 Canadian made-for-television sports drama film directed by William Dear and starring Luke Schroder, George Canyon and Dean Cain. It was based on the 2008 novel ''The Legend of Mickey Tussler'' by Frank Nappi. Th ...

'' (2011)

Actor

* '' Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann'' (1982) - 3rd Technician * ''

'' (1987) - Sighting Man * '' Darkman'' (1990) - Limo Driver * '' If Looks Could Kill'' (1991) - Bomb Tester * '' Angels in the Outfield'' (1994) - Toronto Manager * ''Midnight Stallion'' (2013) - Whip T. Vicker * ''Razor'' (2017) - Bill

References

External links

* * 1943 births Living people American male screenwriters American television directors Canadian emigrants to the United States Fordson High School alumni People from Dearborn, Michigan Film directors from Toronto Writers from Toronto Film directors from Michigan Screenwriters from Michigan Fantasy film directors {{US-film-director-1940s-stub