DARYL DUKE
BIOGRAPHY

Film director Daryl Duke's Emmy Award winning career spans a wide range of accomplishments in feature films, television drama, documentary and television specials. On many productions he has served as producer and as executive producer. In a career that spans half a century Daryl has worked for both Canadian television networks, for all three of the main U.S. networks and for most of the major studios in Hollywood. His film and television assignments have taken him to South America, China, the countries of South-east Asia and India, as well as the Middle East, Yugoslavia, Europe and England.

Daryl directed the 10-hour mini-series from the best selling book "The Thorn Birds." This series ranks among the most watched television dramas ever broadcast in the United States and Canada. "The Thorn Birds" continues to be seen throughout the world. For his work on this mini-series Daryl received Emmy and Directors Guild of America nominations. "The Thorn Birds" starred Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward and such famous actors as Barbara Stanwyck, Jean Simmons, Bryan Brown and Richard Kiley.

Daryl was honored with an Emmy Award for his direction of "The Day The Lion Died" an episode of "The Senator" television series for NBC, starring Hal Holbrook. His production of "I Heard The Owl Call My Name", a 90-minute drama for CBS and filmed on the west coast of Vancouver Island, starred British actor Tom Courtenay and earned for Daryl a Christopher Award.

Daryl has also received a National Society of Film Critics Special Award in New York for his feature film "Payday" starring Rip Torn and the Canadian Film Awards (now called the Genies) Best Director and Best Picture Awards for the film "The Silent Partner" starring Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer and Susannah York. "Payday" was an official entry at the Cannes Film Festival in the Directors Fortnight Category.

A native of Canada and a graduate of the University of British Columbia, Daryl began his career as a film editor, writer and director for the National Film Board of Canada, internationally recognized for its excellence in film.

Daryl originated the first television shows from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s station in Vancouver, CBUT, which went on the air in December of 1953. There he produced and directed variety programs, classical music series, dramas and public affairs documentaries for west coast audiences and for the CBC network.

Daryl went on to become both producer and director of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Toronto based television series "Close Up" and "Explorations". On the documentary series "Close Up" Daryl filmed in the United States, Canada, in Europe and the Middle East. The series focused on a wide range of subjects and countries. Daryl's work as producer and director for this series featured profiles of authors such as Lawrence Durrell, Evelyn Waugh, Rebecca West, James Thurber, Aldous Huxley, philosopher Bertrand Russell, political leaders President Nasser of Egypt, President Tito of Yugoslavia and others.

As executive producer and director of the CBC series "Quest", Daryl’s productions included documentaries, music and comedy shows and dramatic programming. Highlighting performers such as Bob Dylan, and works by James Baldwin, Budd Schulberg, Jack Kerouac, Henry Miller as well as authors from South America, England and Europe the Toronto Star newspaper named Daryl, "Entertainment Star of the Year" for his work on this series.

Daryl produced the "Steve Allen Show" for the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company in Hollywood and later the "Les Crane Show" in New York for the ABC television network. He continued his work on documentaries and dramas for both the Canadian and American television networks. He served as executive producer for the prime time CBC series "Sunday". In this series he brought to CBC audiences international figures such as Martin Luther King, singer Otis Redding and poet Allen Ginsberg as well as a wide-ranging array of political and economic leaders.

Daryl directed episodes of the popular CBC television drama series, "Wojeck", "Quentin Durgens, M.P.", "Corwin" and "The Manipulators". He also produced episodes of the public affairs series, "This Hour Has Seven Days".

In the United States, Daryl directed the television two-hour film for NBC-TV "God Bless The Children", which became the pilot for the series "Psychiatrist".

He directed numerous episodes of several television series, including "The Bold Ones", "The Senator", "Banacek" and "Harry O", as well as a number of movies for television, including "The President's Plane is Missing", "They Only Come Out at Night", "Griffin Loves Phoenix", starring Peter Falk and Jill Clayburgh, "Fatal Memories: The Eileen Franklin Story" starring Shelley Long and "When We Were Young" for producers Richard and Esther Shapiro.

Daryl also directed Peter Falk in the ABC 2 hour Mystery Movie episodes of "Columbo" titled "Columbo Cries Wolf" and "Hazardous to Your Health".

"Tai-Pan," directed by Daryl, was based on the best selling novel by James Clavell. It was the first western feature film to be shot in The People’s Republic of China and starred Joan Chen and Bryan Brown.

Daryl in the mid-1970's founded and launched the independent television station CKVU-TV in Vancouver, Canada. He was that station's first President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. By 1986, under Daryl’s stewardship, CKVU-TV was among the highest rated stations in the Vancouver area. In 1988 Daryl sold his ownership in CKVU-TV in order to devote his full time to his international film and television career.

In Canada Daryl has written on culture and the media for The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Forum, The Georgia Straight, The Vancouver Sun, and The London Free Press. His work has also appeared in anthologies published by The University of British Columbia Press and by McClelland and Stewart.

In 1997 Daryl was inducted into "Starwalk" and the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame at Vancouver's famous Orpheum Theatre. In 1999 Daryl was the first recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award for an Individual given at the British Columbia Film Industry’s annual Leo Awards ceremony.

Daryl is a member of the Board of Directors of BC Film, the agency funding the support of Canadian film activity on Canada's west coast. Daryl has been for several years a member of the Steering Committee of The Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, an organization established to ensure the continuance of quality Canadian programming.

In the fall of 2000 Daryl was invited to give the annual Spry Foundation’s Lecture on Broadcasting at the University of Montreal in Montreal and at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. The Spry Lecture is named after Graham Spry who helped found the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the 1930's.

Daryl in November of 2000 was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters "Broadcast Hall of Fame."