David L. Wolper

David L. Wolper
Born	David Lloyd Wolper (1928-01-11)January 11, 1928 New York, New York, U.S.
Died	August 10, 2010(2010-08-10) (aged 82) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	television and film Producer
Spouse(s)	Toni Carroll (1953–1955; divorced) Margaret Dawn Richard (1958–1969; divorced; 3 children) Gloria Diane Hill (1974–2010; his death)

David Lloyd Wolper (January 11, 1928 – August 10, 2010) was an American television and film producer, responsible for shows such as Roots, The Thorn Birds, North & South, L.A. Confidential, and the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). He also produced numerous documentaries and documentary series including Biography (1961–63), The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (TV), Appointment with Destiny (TV series), This is Elvis, Four Days in November, Imagine: John Lennon, Visions of Eight (1973), and others. Wolper directed the 1959 documentary The Race for Space, which was nominated for an Academy Award. His 1971 film (as executive producer) about the study of insects, The Hellstrom Chronicle, won an Academy Award.

Life and career

Wolper was born in New York City, the son of Anna (née Fass) and Irving S. Wolper.^[1] For his work on television, he had received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The pre-1968 library is owned by Cube Entertainment (formerly International Creative Exchange), the post-1970 library is owned by Warner Bros.

On March 13, 1974, one of his crews filming a National Geographic history of Australopithecus at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area was killed when the Corvair 440 Sierra Pacific Airlines plane slammed into White Mt. shortly after take off from Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop, California killing all 35 on board including 31 Wolper crew members. The filmed segment was recovered in the wreckage and was broadcast in the television series Primal Man. The cause of the crash remains unsolved.^[2]

In 1988, Wolper was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.^[3]

Wolper died on August 10, 2010, of congestive heart disease and complications of Parkinson's disease at his Beverly Hills home. He was survived by his wife of 36 years Gloria Hill, his three children from a previous marriage sons Mark and Michael Wolper and a daughter Leslie. Wolper was also survived by 10 grandchildren.^[4]

Productions

His company was involved in the following productions. He was a distributor of the early shows, and became an executive producer with The Race for Space in 1958.^[5][6]

References

External links

• Official website
• David L. Wolper at the Internet Movie Database
• David L. Wolper interview video at the Archive of American Television