Hugh Wilson (director)

American director, writer and actor

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|

Hugh Wilson

Born|

Hugh Hamilton Wilson Jr.

(1943-08-21)August 21, 1943

Miami, Florida,[1] U.S.

Died| January 14, 2018(2018-01-14) (aged 74)

Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.

Education| University of Florida
Occupation(s)| Writer, director
Spouse|

Charters Smith

(m. 1979)​

Children| 5

Hugh Hamilton Wilson Jr. (August 21, 1943 – January 14, 2018[2][3]) was an American film director, writer and television showrunner. He was the creator of the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati and Frank's Place, and was the director of the film comedies Police Academy and The First Wives Club.

## Background

[edit]

Wilson was born in Miami, Florida. He attended Coral Way Elementary, Ponce de Leon Jr. High, and Coral Gables Sr. High, where he was a member of the Ching Tang Fraternity. He entered the University of Florida in 1961 and graduated in 1964 with a degree in journalism. At Florida, he was a member of the Blue Key Honor Society and president of his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta. Wilson received the school's Distinguished Alumnus award in 1982. He has also served as a guest professor of media studies at the University of Virginia.

## Career

[edit]

In 1966, he entered the advertising business in Atlanta at the Burton-Campbell Agency. He was a copywriter before becoming creative director in 1970 and president in 1973. Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses, producers of the Bob Newhart Show, were instrumental in getting Wilson a position with MTM Enterprises in 1975. They, along with Grant Tinker, gave him his first writing assignment for the Bob Newhart Show in early 1976 and in 1977 made him a co-producer of the Tony Randall Show. In 1978, Wilson created WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982) for CBS. Two of his WKRP scripts won Humanitas Prizes and the show was nominated twice for the Emmy in the Best Comedy category. The character of Bailey Quarters on WKRP was based on Wilson's wife.[4]

Wilson attempted to break into movies by re-writing a low-budget comedy on the condition that he could direct it. The result was the first Police Academy for the Ladd Company (Warners) and producer Paul Maslansky. It was a surprise hit of 1984. In 1985, Wilson shot the singing cowboy comedy Rustlers' Rhapsody, starring Tom Berenger and Sela Ward. The movie was filmed in Spain. "I grew up watching Roy and Gene and Hopalong Cassidy," Wilson said in the production notes. "That was my idea of a movie." The movie failed at the box office but has gained a strong cult following over the years. The same year, he created the short-lived television series Easy Street starring Loni Anderson.

In 1988, Wilson returned to CBS to create and co-produce with Tim Reid the highly regarded but short-lived (22 episodes) Frank's Place. Along with The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (created by Jay Tarses) the two shows were the first to be done in the style that has come to be known as "dramedy." Wilson received three Emmy nominations for Frank's Place and won the Emmy for Best Writing. Wilson also created the CBS show The Famous Teddy Z (1989) and directed the movies Guarding Tess (1994) and Blast from the Past (1999).

His biggest film hit after Police Academy came in 1996 with The First Wives Club. The film became a surprise box-office success following its North American release, eventually grossing $181,490,000 worldwide, mostly from its domestic run, despite receiving mixed reviews, and developed a cult following particularly among middle-aged women. For its stars, including Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton, the actresses' highest-grossing project of the decade helped revitalize their careers in film and television.

In 2003, Wilson and John Grisham teamed up to make Mickey, an independent movie about little league baseball.

## Personal life and death

[edit]

Wilson married Charters Smith in 1979, with whom he had five children. Daughter Caroline Charters Wilson is an actress and singer. Wilson moved to Virginia in 1992 and sometimes taught screenwriting at the University of Virginia. Wilson was a Roman Catholic.

Wilson died on January 14, 2018, in Charlottesville, Virginia, at the age of 74 of lung cancer and emphysema.[5][6][7]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

1972  | The Bagel Report | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Also editor
1983  | Stroker Ace |  | Yes  |  |
1984  | Police Academy | Yes  | Yes  |  |
1985  | Rustlers' Rhapsody | Yes  | Yes  |  |
1987  | Burglar | Yes  | Yes  |  |
1994  | Guarding Tess | Yes  | Yes  |  |
1996  | Down Periscope |  | Yes  |  |
The First Wives Club | Yes  |  |  |
1998  | Southie |  |  | Yes  |
1999  | Blast from the Past | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
Dudley Do-Right | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2004  | Mickey | Yes  |  |  |
2012  | Keepers of the Flame |  | Yes  |  | Documentary short

Acting roles

Year  | Title  | Role

|
|

1984  | Police Academy | Angry Driver
1985  | Rustlers' Rhapsody | Complaining John
1987  | Burglar | Customer at Mayday
1994  | Guarding Tess | President (voice)
1996  | The First Wives Club | Commercial Director
1999  | Blast from the Past | Levy
One More Kiss | Frank's false teeth
2004  | Mickey | Munson

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Executive
producer  | Creator  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

1976  | The Bob Newhart Show |  | Yes  |  |  | 3 episodes
1976–78  | The Tony Randall Show | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |  | Director (4 episodes), writer (6 episodes)
1978–82  | WKRP in Cincinnati | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Director (2 episodes), writer (17 episodes);
Also theme song writer
1986–87  | Easy Street | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Directed 3 episodes, wrote episode "The Mad Gardener"
1987–88  | Frank's Place | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Director (7 episodes), writer (9 episodes)
1989–90  | The Famous Teddy Z | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Director (3 episodes), writer (4 episodes)
1991  | Sunday in Paris | Yes  |  | Yes  |  | TV short
1991–93  | The New WKRP in Cincinnati |  |  |  | Yes  |
1997  | Rough Riders |  | Yes  |  |  | Miniseries

TV movies

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

1977  | The Chopped Liver Brothers | Yes  | Yes  |  |
2000  | The Contender | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Unaired pilot for UPN

Acting roles

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1978  | WKRP in Cincinnati | Policeman #1  | Episode: "Hold Up"
1988  | Frank's Place | D. Wayne Thomas  | Episode: "Where's Ed?"

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Hugh Wilson Biography (1943-)". Filmreference.com. August 8, 1943 – January 14, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
2. ^ "Hugh Wilson 1943 - 2018 - Obituary". www.legacy.com. Retrieved Sep 2, 2020.
3. ^ "Hugh Wilson, comic director of 'Police Academy' and TV's 'WKRP,' dies at 74 - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
4. ^ Kassel, Michael B. (June 15, 1993). America's Favorite Radio Station: WKRP in Cincinnati. Popular Press. ISBN 9780879725846. Retrieved Sep 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
5. ^ "Hugh Wilson Dead: 'WKRP in Cincinnati' creator dies at 74". EW. January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
6. ^ "'WKRP in Cincinnati' creator Hugh Wilson dies at 74". Variety. January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
7. ^ "Police Academy director dies aged 74". BBC News. 1 October 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Hugh Wilson at IMDb
* Hugh Wilson at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television

* v
* t
* e

Works by Hugh Wilson

Films directed|

* Police Academy (1984)
* Rustlers' Rhapsody (1985)
* Burglar (1987)
* Guarding Tess (1994)
* The First Wives Club (1996)
* Blast from the Past (1999)
* Dudley Do-Right (1999)
* Mickey (2004)

TV series created|

* WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–82)
* Easy Street (1986–87)
* Frank's Place (1987–88)
* The Famous Teddy Z (1989–90)
* The New WKRP in Cincinnati (1991–93)

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

1950s|

* James Allardice & Jack Douglas & Hal Kanter & Harry Winkler for The George Gobel Show (1955)
* Arnold M. Auerbach & Barry Blitzer & Vincent Bogert & Nat Hiken & Coleman Jacoby & Harvey Orkin & Arnold Rosen & Terry Ryan & Tony Webster for The Phil Silvers Show (1956)
* No Award (1957)
* Billy Friedberg & Nat Hiken & Coleman Jacoby & Arnold Rosen & A.J. Russell & Terry Ryan & Phil Sharp & Tony Webster & Sydney Zelinka for The Phil Silvers Show (1958)
* George Balzer & Hal Goldman & Al Gordon & Sam Perrin for The Jack Benny Show (1959)

1960s|

* George Balzer & Hal Goldman & Al Gordon & Sam Perrin for The Jack Benny Show (1960)
* Dave O'Brien & Martin Ragaway & Sherwood Schwartz & Al Schwartz & Red Skelton for The Red Skelton Show (1961)
* Carl Reiner for The Dick Van Dyke Show (1962)
* Carl Reiner for The Dick Van Dyke Show (1963)
* No Award (1964)
* No Award (1965)
* Sam Denoff & Bill Persky for "Coast to Coast Big Mouth" (1966)
* Buck Henry & Leonard B. Stern for "Ship of Spies: Parts 1 and 2" (1967)
* Allan Burns & Chris Hayward for "The Coming Out Party" (1968)
* No Award (1969)

1970s|

* No Award (1970)
* James L. Brooks & Allan Burns for "Support Your Local Mother" (1971)
* Burt Styler for "Edith's Problem" (1972)
* Lee Kalcheim & Michael Ross & Bernie West for "The Bunkers and the Swingers" (1973)
* Treva Silverman for "The Lou and Edie Story" (1974)
* Stan Daniels & Ed. Weinberger for "Will Mary Richards Go to Jail?" (1975)
* David Lloyd for "Chuckles Bites the Dust" (1976)
* James L. Brooks & Allan Burns & Stan Daniels & Bob Ellison & David Lloyd & Ed. Weinberger for "The Last Show" (1977)
* Harve Brosten & Barry Harman & Bob Schiller & Bob Weiskopf for "Cousin Liz" (1978)
* No Award (1979)

1980s|

* R.J. Colleary for "The Photographer" (1980)
* Michael J. Leeson for "Tony's Sister and Jim" (1981)
* Ken Estin for "Elegant Iggy" (1982)
* Glen Charles and Les Charles for "Give Me a Ring Sometime" (1983)
* David Angell for "Old Flames" (1984)
* Ed. Weinberger & Michael J. Leeson for "Pilot" (The Cosby Show) (1985)
* Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan for "A Little Romance" (1986)
* Gary David Goldberg & Alan Uger for "A, My Name is Alex" (1987)
* Hugh Wilson for "The Bridge" (1988)
* Diane English for "Pilot" (Murphy Brown) (1989)

1990s|

* Bob Brush for "Good-bye" (1990)
* Gary Dontzig & Steven Peterman for "Jingle Hell, Jingle Hell, Jingle All the Way" (1991)
* Elaine Pope & Larry Charles for "The Fix-Up" (1992)
* Larry David for "The Contest" (1993)
* David Angell & Peter Casey & David Lee for "The Good Son" (1994)
* Chuck Ranberg & Anne Flett-Giordano for "An Affair to Forget" (1995)
* Joe Keenan & Christopher Lloyd & Rob Greenberg & Jack Burditt & Chuck Ranberg & Anne Flett-Giordano & Linda Morris & Vic Rauseo for "Moon Dance" (1996)
* Ellen DeGeneres & Mark Driscoll & Dava Savel & Tracy Newman & Jonathan Stark for "The Puppy Episode" (1997)
* Peter Tolan & Garry Shandling for "Flip" (1998)
* Jay Kogen for "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz" (1999)

2000s|

* Linwood Boomer for "Pilot" (Malcolm in the Middle) (2000)
* Alex Reid for "Bowling" (2001)
* Larry Wilmore for "Pilot" (The Bernie Mac Show) (2002)
* Tucker Cawley for "Baggage" (2003)
* Mitchell Hurwitz for "Pilot" (Arrested Development) (2004)
* Mitchell Hurwitz & Jim Vallely for "Righteous Brothers" (2005)
* Greg Garcia for "Pilot" (My Name Is Earl) (2006)
* Greg Daniels for "Gay Witch Hunt" (2007)
* Tina Fey for "Cooter" (2008)
* Matt Hubbard for "Reunion" (2009)

2010s|

* Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd for "Pilot" (Modern Family) (2010)
* Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman for "Caught in the Act" (2011)
* Louis C.K. for "Pregnant" (2012)
* Tina Fey & Tracey Wigfield for "Last Lunch" (2013)
* Louis C.K. for "So Did the Fat Lady" (2014)
* Simon Blackwell & Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche for "Election Night" (2015)
* Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang for "Parents" (2016)
* Aziz Ansari & Lena Waithe for "Thanksgiving" (2017)
* Amy Sherman-Palladino for "Pilot" (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) (2018)
* Phoebe Waller-Bridge for "Episode 1" (2019)

2020s|

* Dan Levy for "Happy Ending" (2020)
* Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky for "There Is No Line" (2021)
* Quinta Brunson for "Pilot" (Abbott Elementary) (2022)
* Christopher Storer for "System" (2023)
* Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky for "Bulletproof" (2024)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Australia
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Israel

Artists|

* MusicBrainz
* Emmy Awards

People|

* Trove
* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* IdRef
* SNAC

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