William Sterling (born 14 September 1926) was an Australian producer and director. He was born in

Sydney, New South Wales 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 Mountains ...

Biography

Sterling was born in Sydney, one of two brothers. When his father was killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Sterling left school to work in a chartered accountant's office. He served in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

then did a Bachelor of Arts at Sydney University, with Honours in English and History. He was going to be a teacher but then got a job as liaison officer between 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 ...

and the Department of Education. He began writing and producing radio plays, and in 1956 moved into directing television at the ABC. He moved to Melbourne in 1957. He originally directed all sorts of programs for the ABC but in October 1959 was assigned to drama full time. Audrey Rogers was his assistant. He directed a landmark Australian TV play about Aboriginal Australians ''

Burst of Summer ''Burst of Summer'' is a 1959 play by Oriel Gray. It won the 1959 J. C. Williamson's Little Theatre Guild Award, and was later adapted for radio and TV. It was Gray's last produced play. Plot In 1955, racial tensions erupt in a small t ...

'' (1960). In 1961 he commenced shooting a feature film about Burke and Wills with Edward Brayshaw. This became known as '' Return Journey. In 1965 he went to the USA for a study tour, worked for three months with CBC Toronto, then settled in the UK. He returned to Australia in 1972 to promote the release of ''Alice in Wonderland'' and criticised local movies as too self consciously Australian. He returned again in 1977 seeking finance for a feature called ''The Bird of Strange Plumage''.

Filmography

*''

Ending It ''Ending It'' was a 1939 BBC TV one-off play, written by Val Gielgud, and starring John Robinson, Joan Marion, and Dino Galvani. It was 30 minutes in duration. It was broadcast live on 25 August 1939. 1957 Australian Adaptation The most unusual ...

'' (1957) *''

Rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly ...

'' (1957) *''

Captain Carvallo ''Captain Carvallo'' is a traditional comedy play in three acts by Denis Cannan, telling the story of a philandering young army officer, Captain Carvallo. The comedy was an immediate success when it opened at the St. James Theatre on 9 August 1 ...

'' (1958) *''

Killer in Close-Up ''Killer in Close-Up'' was a blanket title covering four live television drama plays produced by the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1957 and 1958. It could be seen as the first anthology series produced for Australian television. Producti ...

'' (1958) *''

Wild Life and Christmas Belles ''Wild Life and Christmas Belles'' is a 1958 Australian television revue. It was shown on New Year's Eve, running from 10:55pm until a few minutes before midnight. It was filmed in ABC's Melbourne studios but was shown in Sydney and Melbourne simu ...

'' (1958) *''

Trip-Tease and High C's ''Trip-Tease and High C's'' is a 1959 Australian television revue which featured an early performance by Barry Humphries. The show was announced in January 1959, off the back of the success of Humphries' first special. Cast *Barry Humphries *Meli ...

'' (1959) *''

One Morning Near Troodos ''One Morning Near Troodos'' (1956) was a British TV play by Iain MacCormick which aired on the BBC as part of ''Sunday Night Theatre''. It was the first British TV play about the Cyprus Emergency. Plot A journalist in Cyprus is captured by EOK ...

'' (1959) *'' A Dead Secret'' (1959) *''

Black Limelight ''Black Limelight'' is a 1936 play by Gordon Sherry that in 1938 became a British crime film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Joan Marion and Raymond Massey. Plot "It concerns itself with the murder of a vulgar young woman ily Suspicio ...

'' (1959) *''

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

'' (1959) *''

Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

'' (1959) *''

Mine Own Executioner ''Mine Own Executioner'' is a 1947 British psychological thriller drama film starring Burgess Meredith and directed by Anthony Kimmins, and based on the novel of the same name by Nigel Balchin. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival. ...

'' (1960) *''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' (1960) *''

Dark Under the Sun ''Dark Under the Sun'' is a 1960 Australian TV play. It was written by Brisbane author, Chris Gardner, who also wrote ''The House of Mancello'' (1962) and '' A Private Island'' (1964). Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time. The play ...

'' (1960) *''

Who Killed Kovali? ''Who Killed Kovali?'' is a 1960 Australian television play. It had previously been filmed for British TV in 1957. It was made at a time Australian TV drama was rare. Plot Hungarian tennis player Ivor Kovali is playing in a semi-final at Wimbled ...

'' (1960) *''

Shadow of Heroes ''Shadow of Heroes, a play in five acts from the Hungarian Passion'' is a 1958 documentary drama by Robert Ardrey. It concerns the lead-up to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Hungarian Uprising and its aftermath. Its premiere resulted in the re ...

'' (1961) *''

Call Me a Liar ''Call Me a Liar'' is a 1961 Australian TV play. It was shot in Melbourne in studio with some location work. It was Channel 2's 49th live play. Plot Sammy Moles lives in a world of make believe. For his employer's benefit he invents a wife and c ...

'' (1961) *''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been can ...

'' (1961) *''

Night of the Ding-Dong ''Night of the Ding-Dong'' is a 1954 stage play by Ralph Peterson. It was this second play, following ''The Square Ring''. It is a comedy set in Adelaide just after the Crimean War about the locals fearing a Russian invasion. It is based on a rea ...

'' (1961) *''

The Lady from the Sea ''The Lady from the Sea'' ( no, Fruen fra havet, link=no) is a play written in 1888 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen inspired by the ballad '' Agnete og Havmanden''. The drama introduces the character of Hilde Wangel who is again portrayed ...

'' (1961) *'' The Big Deal'' (1961) *''

The Ides of March The Ides of March (; la, Idus Martiae, Late Latin: ) is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, corresponding to 15 March. It was marked by several Religion in ancient Rome, religious observances and was notable in Rome as a deadline for settling d ...

'' (1961) *''

Murder in the Cathedral ''Murder in the Cathedral'' is a verse drama by T. S. Eliot, first performed in 1935, that portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral during the reign of Henry II in 1170. Eliot drew heavily on the writin ...

'' (1962) *''

Light Me a Lucifer ''Light Me a Lucifer'' is a 1962 Australian television comedy film which aired on ABC. Written by John O'Grady, it starred Frank Thring as the devil, along with Wyn Roberts, Edward Howell, Joan Harris, Ken Goodlet and Lynne Flanagan. It was prod ...

'' (1962) *'' The Devil Makes Sunday'' (1962) *''

The Hobby Horse ''The Hobby Horse'' was a quarterly Victorian periodical in England published by the Century Guild of Artists. The magazine ran from 1884 to 1894 and spanned a total of seven volumes and 28 issues. It featured various articles not only on arts ...

'' (1962) *''

The Music Upstairs ''The Music Upstairs'' is a 1962 Australian television play. It was written by Australian playwright Michael Noonan when he was living in England. It starred Felicity Young who was married to George Thoms. Plot Three doctors, Joe, Ruth and Tom, ...

'' (1962) *'' The Forbidden Rite'' (1962) *''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...

'' (1963) *''

The Pearl Fishers ''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 ...

'' (1963) *'' Uneasy Paradise'' (1963) *'' Barnstable'' (1963) *'' The Fighting Cock'' (1963) *'' A Man for All Seasons'' (1964) *''

Compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...

'' (1965) (TV series) *''

Quick Before They Catch Us ''Quick Before They Catch Us'' was a 1966 British action/adventure children's television series. It starred then child actors Pamela Franklin, Teddy Green and David Griffin as three teenagers who become amateur detectives in Swinging London ...

'' (1966) (TV series) *''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

'' (1966-67) *''The Further Adventures of the Musketeers'' (1967) (TV series) *''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

'' (1968) (TV Series) *''

Dr. Finlay's Casebook ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook'' is a television drama series that was produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1962 until 1971. Based on A. J. Cronin's 1935 novella ''Country Doctor'', the storylines centred on a general medical practice in the fictiona ...

'' (1969) (TV series) *'' The Expert'' (1969) (TV series) *'' Counterstrike'' (1969) *''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...

'' (1972)

References

External links

* *
William Sterling
at

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sterling, William Australian directors Possibly living people