Jacob M. "Jack" Gold (28 June 1930 – 9 August 2015) was a British film and

television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the prod ...

. He was part of the British realist tradition which followed the

Free Cinema Free Cinema was a documentary film movement that emerged in the United Kingdom in the mid-1950s. The term referred to an absence of propagandised intent or deliberate box office appeal. Co-founded by Lindsay Anderson (but he later disdained the ...

movement.

Career

Jacob M. Gold was born in London, the son of Charles and Minnie (née Elbery) Gold. He attended

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. After leaving UCL, he began his career as a film editor on the BBC's ''

Tonight Tonight may refer to: Television * ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC * ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...

'' programme. Gold became a freelance documentary filmmaker, making dramas as a platform for his social and political observations. For television, his best known work is '' The Naked Civil Servant'' (1975), based on

Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp (born Denis Charles Pratt; – ) was an English raconteur, whose work in the public eye included a memoir of his life and various media appearances. Before becoming well-known, he was an artist's model, hence the title of ...

's 1968 book of the same name and starring

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

. He had previously directed the 1964 crime series '' Call the Gun Expert'' for the BBC. Other television credits include ''The Visit'' (1959), the

BBC Television Shakespeare The ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and broadcast by BBC Television. Transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985, it ...

productions of ''The Merchant of Venice'' (1980) and ''Macbeth'' (1983) - the latter starring Nicol Williamson - as well as the made-for-TV adaptation of

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

's ''The Tenth Man'' (1988), starring

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

and ''

Charlie Muffin ''Charlie Muffin'' is a 1979 made-for-TV film based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Brian Freemantle. In the U.S., the picture was later re-released under the title ''A Deadly Game''. A Euston Films production, the movie features Da ...

'' (1979, USA: ''A Deadly Game''). In 1998, he directed an award-winning-adaption of the 1981 children's book '' Goodnight Mister Tom'' by

Michelle Magorian Michelle Magorian (born 6 November 1947) is an English author of children's books. She is best known for her first novel, '' Goodnight Mister Tom'', which won the 1982 Guardian Prize for British children's books and has been adapted several ti ...

, featuring

John Thaw John Edward Thaw, (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor who appeared in a range of television, stage, and cinema roles. He starred in the television series '' Inspector Morse'' as title character Detective Chief Inspector ...

in the lead. He also directed films such as '' The National Health'' (1973), ''

Man Friday Friday is one of the main characters of Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel ''Robinson Crusoe'' and its sequel '' The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe''. Robinson Crusoe names the man Friday, with whom he cannot at first communicate, because they fi ...

'' (1975), '' Aces High'' (1976), ''

The Medusa Touch ''The Medusa Touch'' is a 1973 novel by Peter Van Greenaway, which was adapted fairly faithfully into a feature film in 1978. The novel tells the story of a radically disenchanted novelist with highly destructive telekinetic powers. ''The Medu ...

'' (1978), ''

The Chain "The Chain" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on their 1977 album '' Rumours''. It is the only song from the album with writing credits for all five members (Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John ...

'' (1985) and ''

Escape from Sobibor ''Escape from Sobibor'' is a 1987 British television film which aired on ITV and CBS. It is the story of the mass escape from the Nazi extermination camp at Sobibor, the most successful uprising by Jewish prisoners of German extermination ...

'' (1987). Gold directed the final episode of ITV's television detective drama ''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

''. Other work includes the television drama series ''

Kavanagh QC ''Kavanagh QC'' is a British television series made by Central Television for ITV between 1995 and 2001. All five series are available on DVD in both Region 1 and Region 2. Plot The series starred John Thaw as barrister James Kavanagh QC, ...

'' and '' The Brief''. Gold was an Honorary Associate of

London Film School London Film School (LFS) is a film school in London and is situated in a converted brewery in Covent Garden, London, neighbouring Soho, a hub of the UK film industry. It is the oldest film school in the UK.

Personal life

Gold married actress

Denyse Alexander Denyse Alexander ( Denyse Verena Macpherson ; born 28 June 1931) is a British stage, film and television actress. She was married to the film and television director Jack Gold from 1957 until his death in August 2015. Selected filmography Fil ...

(née Macpherson) in 1957, with whom he shared a birthday - she was born in 1932. The couple had three children: Jamie, Nicholas and Kathryn.

Filmography

References

Other sources

* Aitken, Ian (ed.). ''Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film''. New York:

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...

, 2005. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gold, Jack British television directors Alumni of University College London British film directors 1930 births 2015 deaths British Jews