Michael Deeley's voice

from the BBC programmeDesert Island Discs, 14 December 2008.^[1]

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Michael Deeley (born 6 August 1932) is an Academy Award-winning British film producer known for motion pictures such asThe Italian Job (1969),The Deer Hunter (1978), andBlade Runner (1982).^[2] He is also a founding member and Honorary President ofBritish Screen Forum.

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Deeley's father was a director atMcCann Erickson advertising agency, and his mother was a PA to several film producers. He attendedStowe School inBuckinghamshire. Afternational service in Malaysia during the time of theMalayan Emergency, Deeley gained a job through his mother's connections as an assistant editor at a company run byDouglas Fairbanks, Jr.

While editing the TV showThe Adventures of Robin Hood, with his editing partnerHarry Booth, the two men decided to branch into a producing partnership. They raised funds to produce a 26-minute short starringPeter Sellers andSpike Milligan,The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn (1956). This launched Deeley's producing career, although he did not give up his day job as editor for a few years.^[3]

In the early 1960s, Deeley worked for the UK sales arm ofMCA Universal for three years, then he returned to producing withSandy the Reluctant Nudist (1963, released 1966) andOne Way Pendulum (1964). The latter was made forWoodfall Film Productions who hired Deeley in 1964 to assistOscar Lewenstein, a director of the company.

Deeley producedRobbery (1967), which began a partnership withStanley Baker to make films throughOakhurst Productions.^[4] Along with Baker andBarry Spikings, Deeley also established a series of companies all called "Great Western" which did a variety of activities, including music festivals (Great Western Festivals), and investments (Great Western Investments). Great Western Investments later took overBritish Lion Films in 1973, and Deeley was appointed managing director of that company.^[3][5]

While at British Lion, Deeley oversaw the release ofDon't Look Now (1973) andThe Wicker Man (1973), and helped financeThe Internecine Project,Who?,Ransom (all 1974) andConduct Unbecoming (1975). He also producedThe Man Who Fell to Earth (1976).

In 1976, after British Lion merged withEMI Films, Deeley and Spikings took over management of that company.^[6][7][8] They oversaw a series of mostly successful films includingConvoy,The Driver,Death on the Nile,Warlords of Atlantis andThe Deer Hunter (all 1978).^[9][10][11]

Deeley left the company in 1979 and producedBlade Runner (1982).^[12]

In 1984 Deeley was appointed CEO of Consolidated, a TV company seeking to further expand into US network television.^[3]

• The Last Gun (1979) – Western fromWalter Hill^[13]
• The Chinese Bandit (1978) – based on script by David Shaber

• Michael Deeley,Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies, Pegasus Books, 2009.

• Michael Deeley atIMDb

• 1932 births
• Living people
• British film studio executives
• Film producers from London
• Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award

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