Michael Feeney Callan
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Michael Feeney Callan is an Irish novelist and poet. An award winner for his short fiction and also for non-fiction, he joined
BBC television drama BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom. As with any major broadcast network, drama forms an importa ...
as a story editor, and wrote screenplays for '' The Professionals'', and for American television. He wrote the template Irish police drama series, ''The Burke Enigma'', starring
Donal McCann Donal McCann (7 May 1943 – 17 July 1999) was an Irish stage, film, and television actor best known for his roles in the works of Brian Friel and for his lead role in John Huston's last film, '' The Dead''. In 2020, he was listed as number ...
, and ''Love Is'', starring
Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...
, and went on to write and direct a number of documentaries, among them ''The Beach Boys Today'', a film that marked the band's 30th anniversary. He has published several novels and has written biographies of Sean Connery,
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
Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...
. His biography of Robert Redford (''Robert Redford: The Biography''; Knopf, 2011) was chosen by the '' Sunday Times'' as one of its recommended Best Books of 2011. It was subsequently awarded the Lucien Barriere Prize for Literature by the jury of the
Deauville American Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival (french: Festival du cinéma américain de Deauville, link=no) is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Ch ...
. In 2013, he published his second volume of poetry, ''An Argument for Sin''.


Family

Callan was born to Michael Callan, an engineer, and Margaret (née Feeney) in Drumcondra, Dublin. After living in London, Callan resettled in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
with his wife Ree and their two children. He frequently spends time at Châteauneuf de Grasse, where he paints and sculpts.


Poetry

Callan started writing in his teens, publishing poetry in David Marcus' ''New Irish Writing''. His first collection, ''Fifty Fingers'' (which includes his first poem, ''Barbara''), was published in 2003. His second volume of poetry, ''An Argument for Sin'', was published in 2013. Callan describes the work as "a memoir in poetry, much influenced by Yeats' ''
A Vision ''A Vision: An Explanation of Life Founded upon the Writings of Giraldus and upon Certain Doctrines Attributed to Kusta Ben Luka'', privately published in 1925, is a book-length study of various philosophical, historical, astrological, and poetic ...
'' and Poe's ''
Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...
''." The book comprises poems written between 2003 and 2013.


Books

Callan won the Hennessy Literary Award for his short story, ''Baccy'', and was anthologised in ''Best Irish Short Stories'' (Elek, London, 1978). Thereafter he diversified widely, publishing fiction and non-fiction. Callan wrote a series of British television adaptation novels of differing genres, including ''Capital City'' ( ITV), ''Target: The Bronze Heist'' (
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, f ...
), ''Sweet Sixteen'' and ''Jockey School'' (all
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
), and the novel ''Lovers and Dancers'', set in Ireland during the famine. ''Lovers and Dancers'' was inspired by Anthony Trollope's early writing and was reissued by Random House in the mid-1990s. In 2002, Callan published ''Did You Miss Me?'', a novel exploring difficult female themes which was issued in a revised version in 2014. Callan has written biographies of Sean Connery,
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 longtime friend
Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...
. The Connery book was referred to as "a necessity for Connery and Bond fans" by the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' and is the sole reference work on Connery quoted in Albert "Cubby" Broccoli's autobiography. A new edition, revised and updated to cover Connery's formal retirement, was published by Nouveau Monde Editions, Paris, in March 2012 (). For fifteen years from the mid-nineties, Callan travelled throughout the United States interviewing more than 300 sources for ''Robert Redford: The Biography'' (Knopf, 2011). The book was written with the co-operation of Redford, who traveled to Ireland to work with Callan and provided access to his diaries, scripts and personal records. In the course of its preparation, Callan spent extensive time with many of Redford's key collaborators. ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' selected ''Robert Redford: The Biography'' as one of its 10 Best Movie Books of 2011. ''Robert Redford: The Biography'' was published in mass market paperback by
Vintage Books Vintage Books is a trade paperback publishing imprint of Penguin Random House originally established by Alfred A. Knopf in 1954. The company was purchased by Random House in April 1960, and a British division was set up in 1990. After Random ...
in 2012.


Writing for radio and television

Callan began writing for radio at the outset of his career. He adapted ''The Dead Secret'' by
Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for '' The Woman in White'' (1859), a mystery novel and early "sensation novel", and for '' The Moonstone'' (1868), which has b ...
and ''Scales of Justice'' by Dame
Ngaio Marsh Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966. As a crime writer during the "Golden Age of De ...
for RTÉ Radio, and wrote the original plays ''The Train'' and ''Tripp''. He contributed more than 20 plays to the Dan Treston-produced series Treasure House, dramatising the lives of scientists and artists from Johannes Kepler to
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...
and H.G. Wells. Callan's first screenplay was the crime series ''The Burke Enigma'', a six-hour film production for RTÉ, which starred
Ray McAnally Ray McAnally (30 March 1926 – 15 June 1989) was an Irish actor. He was the recipient of three BAFTA Awards in the late 1980s: two BAFTA Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor (for ''The Mission'' in 1986 and ''My Left Foot'' in 1989), and ...
and
Donal McCann Donal McCann (7 May 1943 – 17 July 1999) was an Irish stage, film, and television actor best known for his roles in the works of Brian Friel and for his lead role in John Huston's last film, '' The Dead''. In 2020, he was listed as number ...
, and went forward as RTÉ's drama entry for the 1979
Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international Television, Radio-broadcasting and Web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with the ...
.Callan profile
IMDb.com; accessed 25 November 2014. According to Callan, this work was "influenced by the film noir I loved as a kid, and by Robert Altman's (filming) style." Subsequently, Callan joined
BBC television drama BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom. As with any major broadcast network, drama forms an importa ...
in London, where he story-edited the detective series '' Shoestring''. Simultaneously, at ITV, he wrote for the action series '' The Professionals''. In the 1980s, Callan collaborated with
Frederick Forsyth Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (born 25 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for thrillers such as ''The Day of the Jackal'', ''The Odessa File'', '' The Fourth Protocol'', '' The Dogs of War'', ''The Devil's Alter ...
on Public Broadcasting Service-aired adaptations of Forsyth's stories ''Privilege'' and ''A Careful Man'' (Mobil Showcase). Collaborating with Anthony Shaffer, Callan was commissioned in 1987 by HBO to write ''The Negotiator'', based on a treatment by Forsyth. The series was announced but never filmed and Forsyth later redeveloped the outline into a novel. He was commissioned to write a two part episode for the BBC of '' Doctor Who'' (entitled "
The Children of January During the long history of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'', a number of stories were proposed but, for a variety of reasons, never fully produced. Below is a list of unmade serials which were submitted by recognis ...
"). This was in final revision when the series was suspended under Jonathan Nathan-Turner's tenure as producer in 1985. On his website, Callan responded to an enquiry on this subject thus:
I wrote a two-parter called ''The Children of January''. It was to be a season closer, not a series termination. But the BBC decided in mid-season that the show had run its course and, in the middle eighties, I think they were right. But I loved my episode, which was delivered late in 1985. I created a race of runaway proto-humans called the Z'ros, sort of 'human bees', of which I still have the fondest nightmares. ''The Children of January'', incidentally, refers to renegade outcasts of a dawning "parallel universe" civilisation that was abandoned.
In 2011, Callan wrote and produced Channel 4's ''Sounds from the Cities''. The series was presented by actor Mathew Horne, and featured live performances from Imelda May, K.T. Tunstall, Jon Fratelli, Joy Formidable and Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals.


''Doctor Who: The Children of January''

The story features the Doctor and Peri in the TARDIS, land on a desert planet that's conquered by the unmerciful Z’ros. Peri complains that the planet they are on is no fun for her, so the Doctor tries to essentially take her to another planet, but the Z’ros army catches them and the leader of the Z’ros commands them to kill the travelers. The leader of ‘The Children of January’-the outcasts, convinces the Z’ros leader to release the travelers and spare their lives. The Doctor tells Peri to remain in the time machine to keep an eye on the TARDIS, while the Doctor walks with the outcast leader, and the leader explains what happened on the planet they are standing on now. ‘The Children of January’ were a poor race whilst there planet was drying up and nobody could save it. The Z’ros realized that the poor alien villagers were useless to live, and a space ship fleet of them killed almost every one. The Doctor heads back to the where his ship landed, all the sudden, a Z’ros laser cannon was attacking the TARDIS. The Doctor tells the Z’ros commander to stop and negotiate the war problem. The Z’ros commander, however, enforces the Doctor to surrender, then he tricks them and gets to his ship. Peri recovers, and the Doctor and Peri plan on exploding the Z’ros ship, and leave the Z’ros stranded on the planet. The Z’ros guards tell the leader and everyone to quickly escape the ship. The Doctor tells the Z’ros leader to now make peace with the outcasts in order help the planet thrive. The Doctor and Peri then go about travels again.


Production

Callan commissioned the story on February 5, 1985, and the story was to be directed by EastEnders director Bob Gabriel, who was new for the show. The intended transmission for the story was considered on February 13-March 6, 1986. However, on February 27, 1985, it was announced on BBC news's that the production of ''Doctor Who'' was to be suspended on a 18-month hiatus until Spring of 1986. The production team also had rework the episode format from two-part, forty five minute episodes to four-part, twenty five minute episodes, but the story was dropped when it was decided that '' Trial of a Time-Lord'' was considered to have fourteen episodic parts with twenty five minutes instead.''The Original Season 23- Doctor Who- Wholmes, Harbo- retrieved November 2019'' Originally, Big Finish Productions planned on adapting “The Children of January”, but these plans were ultimately dropped due to Callan's other commitments.


Film and directing

Callan made a significant contribution to the regeneration of the film industry in Ireland during the 1980s. Joining Morgan O'Sullivan's pioneering production set-up, Tara Productions, Callan collaborated in a strategy to acquire the defunct National Film Studios (as
Ardmore Studios Ardmore Studios, in Bray, County Wicklow, is Irelands's only four wall studio. It opened in 1958 under the management of Emmet Dalton and Louis Elliman. Since then, it has evolved through many managements and owners. It has been the base for ...
was then named), alter film investment law and attract Hollywood-based co-production into Ireland. Ardmore Studios was bought in partnership with the NEA and MTM Hollywood in November 1986. In the 1990s, Callan started directing. His directorial debut was with the six-part series ''My Riviera'', in which Roger Moore, James Coburn,
Sylvia Kristel Sylvia Maria Kristel (28 September 1952 17 October 2012) was a Dutch actress and model who appeared in over 50 films. She is best remembered as the eponymous character in five of the seven Emmanuelle films, including originating the role with ''E ...
,
Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...
and
Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...
reviewed personal favourite places along the Côte d'Azur, an area Callan has frequented since the 1980s. The series was screened on ITV and throughout the world. In 1993 Callan wrote, produced and directed ''The Beach Boys Today'', a co-production with RTÉ, documenting the final touring days of the Carl Wilson-led
Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...
. He then made the documentary ''Back to Enchantment'', about animators
Gary Goldman Gary Wayne Goldman (born November 17, 1944) is an American film producer, director, animator, writer and voice actor. He is known for working on films with Don Bluth such as ''All Dogs Go to Heaven'' for his directorial debut, ''Anastasia'', ' ...
and
Don Bluth Donald Virgil Bluth (; born September 13, 1937) is an American film director, animator, production designer, and animation instructor, best known for his animated films, including '' The Secret of NIMH'' (1982), '' An American Tail'' (1986), ''Th ...
(
An American Tail ''An American Tail'' is a 1986 American animated musical adventure film directed by Don Bluth from a screenplay by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss and a story by David Kirschner, Freudberg and Geiss. The film features the voices of Phillip Glass ...
,
Anastasia Anastasia (from el, Ἀναστασία, translit=Anastasía) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, where it was the most ...
), which tied in with the release of Warner Bros' Thumbelina. In 1994 Callan wrote, co-produced and co-directed Perry Como's final concert for PBS. Como, then in his 80th year, was unwell during the filming, but expressed himself exhilarated by the experience and later said that he had always wished to end his career in Ireland. After a decade working on the Redford project, in 2005 Callan resumed directing with the film ''
Luke Kelly Luke Kelly (17 November 1940 – 30 January 1984) was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor from Dublin, Ireland. Born into a working-class household in Dublin city, Kelly moved to England in his late teens and by his early 20s had become i ...
: The Performer'', which topped DVD charts in Ireland for eight weeks, achieving platinum sales status. According to Callan, the project was "a wonderful fusion, part biography, part musical. It covered so much of the ground I love, the poetic stuff that inspires me." In November 2010 Callan co-founded an interactive television-based resource for new artists and musicians, BOBCOM. As part of its creative incentive scheme, in July 2011 Callan wrote and directed the two-day ''Magical History Tour'' event in Liverpool, culminating with a 7-hour live session from the
Cavern Club The Cavern Club is a nightclub on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. The Cavern Club opened in 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 50s and early 1960s. The club became closely assoc ...
streamed on YouTube. The event included a re-creation of
The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
' 1967 magic bus tour and a re-creation of the day in July 1957 when
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
met
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
. Also in 2011, he produced and directed the start-up episodes of The 2UBE Live from LIPA (the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts), a student production that was streamed on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
.BOBCOM presents The 2ube Ep. 1
youtube.com; accessed 26 November 2014.


Painting

Callan's art, in watercolour, oils and bronze sculpture, has been exhibited by the Blue Leaf Gallery in Dublin. ''
Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' art critic Aidan Dunne described his work as "a love affair with French painting", reflecting Callan's interest in L'École de Nice. Callan started painting in Chateauneuf de Grasse in the South of France in the eighties and titled his first exhibition, staged at Dublin's Blue Leaf Marino gallery in May 2002, ''A Workshop in France''.


Other media work

Callan has contributed to the arts programme Arena, on RTÉ Radio 1. He has reviewed books for the '' Irish Independent'' and contributed journalism to '' Vanity Fair'', ''
GQ Magazine ''GQ'' (formerly ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and ''Apparel Arts'') is an American international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though articles o ...
'' and the ''
Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
''. He contributed to "The Art and Craft of Film Biography: A Symposium" in the summer 2013 issue of '' Cineaste magazine''. He co-created and developed the multi-platform arts project BOBCOM with producer Steve Levine. In December 2007, Callan joined the advisory board of the Los Angeles Irish Film Festival.


Awards

Callan won the Hennessy Literary Award in 1977 for his short fiction. In 2022 he won the Prix Littéraire Lucien Barrière, awarded by the jury of the
Deauville American Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival (french: Festival du cinéma américain de Deauville, link=no) is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Ch ...
for his non-fiction book, Robert Redford: The Biography.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Callan, Michael Feeney Living people Irish biographers Irish male poets Male biographers Irish novelists Year of birth missing (living people) People from Drumcondra, Dublin Irish poets Irish film producers Irish film directors Irish male screenwriters 21st-century Irish painters Irish male painters Irish male novelists