Dwight Arlington Hemion Jr. (March 14, 1926 – January 28, 2008) was an Americantelevision director known mainly for music-themedtelevision programs of the 1960s and 1970s. He held the record for the most Emmy nominations (47), and won 18 times, putting him at the top of his profession throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and well into the 1980s. He also won theDirectors Guild of America's top TV award five times, sixAce awards and aPeabody award.

Hemion began working in live television inNew York City in the 1950s, particularly for the originalTonight Show starringSteve Allen.^[1] In the 1960s, Hemion began concentrating on musical-variety shows, working with producerGary Smith on a popular series ofKraft Music Hall specials forNBC-TV. Smith-Hemion Productions arguably defined the fast-paced look and glamorous style of the Americancomedy-variety genre, and influenced scores of later generations working in television.

Hemion had a knack for balancing both visual and musical elements that made him a master of directing concert performance specials. He worked with such major stars asFrank Sinatra,Bing Crosby,Barbra Streisand,Sammy Davis Jr.,Paul McCartney,Bette Midler,Shirley MacLaine,Julie Andrews,Elvis Presley,Burt Bacharach,The Muppets, andLuciano Pavarotti. He also won Emmys for directing theKennedy Center Honors in 1989 and 1990.

Among the most memorable specials that Hemion produced and directed were:My Name Is Barbra (1965),Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music (1965),Peter Pan (a 1976 version with a new score, not to be confused with the musical starring Mary Martin),Baryshnikov on Broadway (1980), andBarbra Streisand: The Concert (1994). Along with producing partnerGary Smith, Hemion later branched out into producing large conventions, including the nomination conventions for theDemocratic Party as well as the inaugural ceremonies forRonald Reagan andBill Clinton.^[2] He is also credited as an executive producer forThe Star Wars Holiday Special along with Smith.

Hemion died ofkidney failure in Rectortown, Virginia, at the age of 81.^[3]

• Dwight Hemion atIMDb
• Dwight Hemion atThe Interviews: An Oral History of Television

• 1926 births
• 2008 deaths
• American television directors
• Deaths from kidney failure in the United States

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles with hCards
• The Interviews name ID same as Wikidata