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Dan Curtis

Creator

Dan Curtis

Dan Curtis is a creator born on August 12, 1927 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He died on March 27, 2006, aged 78. He is known for Burnt Offerings, Trilogy of Terror and The Night Stalker. GloboWatch shows where to watch one of his movies and TV shows, country by country.

Known for
Creator
Born
August 12, 1927
Place of birth
Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
Died
March 27, 2006
Also known as
R. Daniel Curtis · Daniel Mayer Cherkoss

Biography

Daniel Mayer Cherkoss (August 12, 1927 – March 27, 2006), known by his pen name Dan Curtis, was an American director and producer of television and film, best known for creating the horror soap Dark Shadows. Dark Shadows ran from 1966 to 1971 for a record-setting 1,225 episodes. Curtis also produced the 1991 revival, which was canceled after twelve episodes due to low ratings. He also served as executive producer for a WB reboot; however, it was canceled before the pilot episode aired. His series of macabre films include The Night Stalker (which inspired the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker), Intruders, The Night Strangler, House of Dark Shadows, Night of Dark Shadows, Burnt Offerings, Trilogy of Terror, The Norliss Tapes (a 1973 pilot for an unproduced series starring Roy Thinnes), Curse of the Black Widow, Dead of Night, Scream of the Wolf, and others. He worked frequently with sci-fi/horror writer Richard Matheson. Curtis was producer and/or director of a number of television adaptations of horror-related productions including Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Turn of the Screw, all made between 1968 and 1975. In 1978, Curtis made a departure from his usual macabre offerings, when he wrote, produced, and directed the sentimental NBC television film When Every Day Was the Fourth of July. Although fictionalized, the film was semi-autobiographical, based on his childhood growing up in 1930s Bridgeport. The film was originally intended to be a pilot for a potential series, but when the series was not picked up by NBC, Curtis made a sequel, The Long Days of Summer, this time airing on ABC. In 1983, Curtis directed the epic seven-part miniseries The Winds of War, based on Herman Wouk's 1971 novel of the same name about the lives of the fictional Henry and Jastrow families as they intersect with the major global events of the early years of World War II. It won three Primetime Emmys (of 13 nominations) and was nominated for four Golden Globes, including Best Miniseries or Television Film. The success spawned a 1988 sequel miniseries, War and Remembrance, also based on a novel by Wouk. Curtis died of a brain tumor in his home on March 27, 2006, two weeks after the death of his wife Norma. Curtis' rights to Dark Shadows remain with his estate, who have signed a deal with Warner Bros. for a new Dark Shadows film, which released in March 2012 to mixed reviews. Description above from the Wikipedia article Dan Curtis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Filmography

  1. 2009Dark Shadows: The Vampire CurseCreator · Executive producer
  2. 2005Our FathersDirector
  3. 2005Saving MillyDirector · Executive producer
  4. 2004Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaustas Self
  5. 1998The Love LetterDirector · Producer
  6. 1996Trilogy of Terror IIDirector · Writer · Executive producer
  7. 1993Me and the KidDirector
  8. 1992IntrudersDirector · Executive producer
  9. 1991Dark ShadowsDirector · Writer · Creator
  10. 1990Johnny RyanExecutive producer
  11. 1989Prisoners of Gravityas Self · 1 episode
  12. 1988War and RemembranceExecutive producer · Director · Writer · Creator
  13. 1986St. John in ExileDirector
  14. 1983The Winds of WarProducer · Director · Creator
  15. 1980The Long Days of SummerDirector · Executive producer
  16. 1979The Last Ride of the Dalton GangDirector
  17. 1979Mrs. R's DaughterDirector · Executive producer
  18. 1979Express to TerrorExecutive producer · Director
  19. 1979SupertrainDirector · Executive producer
  20. 1978When Every Day Was the Fourth of JulyDirector · Story · Producer
  21. 1977Curse of the Black WidowDirector · Executive producer
  22. 1977Dead of NightDirector · Producer
  23. 1976Burnt OfferingsDirector · Screenplay · Producer
  24. 1975The Kansas City MassacreDirector · Producer
  25. 1975Trilogy of TerrorDirector · Producer
  26. 1975Melvin Purvis G-ManDirector · Producer
  27. 1974The Great Ice Rip-OffDirector · Producer
  28. 1974Nightmare at 43 HillcrestExecutive producer
  29. 1974DraculaDirector · Producer
  30. 1974Come Die with MeExecutive producer
  31. 1974The Turn of the ScrewDirector · Producer
  32. 1974The Invasion of Carol EndersProducer · Director
  33. 1974Shadow of FearExecutive producer
  34. 1974Scream of the WolfDirector · Producer
  35. 1973The Picture of Dorian GrayProducer
  36. 1973The Norliss TapesDirector · Producer
  37. 1973FrankensteinScreenplay · Producer
  38. 1973The Night StranglerDirector · Producer
  39. 1973FrankensteinProducer · Writer · Creator
  40. 1972The Night StalkerProducer
  41. 1971Night of Dark ShadowsDirector · Story · Producer
  42. 1970House of Dark ShadowsDirector · Producer
  43. 1969Dead of Night: A Darkness at BlaisedonWriter · Producer
  44. 1968The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeProducer
  45. 1967The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeProducer
  46. 1966Dark ShadowsDirector · Creator
  47. 1951Hallmark Hall of FameDirector