Robert Joseph Markell (April 12, 1924 - January 25, 2020) was an artist, engineer, and award-winning

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon ...

and art director of television series, movies and mini-series.

Early life and education

Robert Markell was born in Boston, Massachusetts on April 12, 1924. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1944 and an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts in 1965 from Northeastern University. After college, Markell worked for the Grumman Aircraft Company in 1944-1946 as a civil engineer and

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

in Boston until 1948. In 1948, he became a student at the

Art Students League The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

.Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids: Robert Markell''
Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. Web. Accessed 19 September 2014.

Film career

Markell began his film career as a

scenic designer Scenic may refer to: * Scenic design * Scenic painting * Scenic overlook * Scenic railroad (disambiguation) * Scenic route * Scenic, South Dakota, United States * Scenic (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse Aviation *Airwave Scenic, an Austrian pa ...

at CBS-TV, where he worked from 1949 to 1959. During that time, he also had the opportunities to take on art director roles, one of which landed him an Emmy. From 1959 to 1960, he was the

associate producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

for Playhouse 90. He moved on to produce the classic TV courtroom drama The

Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: *Defense (military) *Defense (sports) **Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The Defender'' (1994 f ...

during the years 1961–65, winning two Emmy awards. Between 1967 and 1969, he produced the popular television show NYPD, starring Jack Warden, Robert Hooks and Frank Converse. NYPD featured one of the earliest performances by Al Pacino, who guest starred as a bigoted southerner. In 1973, he became the executive producer of dramatic programs for CBS-TV. Markell received Emmy awards in 1954, 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1976, and the Screen Producers Guild Award in 1962 and 1963.

"We were free to do anything we wanted, to say anything we wanted. And we weren't afraid of being fired or anything like that. We kind of knew our limits so we weren't that extravagant. The Golden Age of Television was an age where everybody was learning. There were no experts, so there was nobody to tell us what to do." -Bob Markell
Bob Markell Interview
'. Archive of American Television. Web. Accessed 22 October 2014.

Executive producer roles

*Nicky's World (1974)''Bob Markell - Filmography''. The New York Times. Web. Accessed 23 November 2014. *Dain Curse (1978) *

Bicentennial Minutes ''Bicentennial Minutes'' was a series of short educational American television segments commemorating the bicentennial of the American Revolution. The segments were produced by the CBS Television Network and broadcast nightly from July 4, 1974, unt ...

(1974-1976) *Word (1979) *You Can't Go Home Again (1979) *If Tomorrow Comes (1986) *

At Mother's Request ''At Mother's Request'' is a 1987 two-part television miniseries based on a true story (the Franklin Bradshaw murder). The movie stars E.G. Marshall and Stefanie Powers. Plot summary Frances Schreuder is a mother who is mean to her sons and some ...

(1987)

Producer roles

* Playhouse 90 (1959-1960) *

NYPD The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

(1967-1969) * Dr. Cook's Garden (1971) *Tattered Web (1972) *Murder Once Removed (1972) *Settle the Score (1990)

Art director roles

*You Are There (1954) *

12 Angry Men ''Twelve Angry Men'' is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a ...

(1957)

Later life

Since retiring from his film career, Markell spent his time painting and printmaking. He experimented in etching, monoprints, oil and acrylic paintings, and was known for his studies of the nude figure on the East End of the Island. His work has been on display in numerous exhibits, galleries, and the Brooklyn Museum.
Bob Markell
'. Web. Accessed 16 October 2014.

References

External links

*
Stony Brook University Special Collections, Robert J. Markell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Markell, Bob 1924 births 2020 deaths Artists from Boston Television producers from Massachusetts Primetime Emmy Award winners Northeastern University alumni