King, Allan, 1930-2009 : Born in 1930 in Vancouver, Allan King completed his Honours B.A. in Philosophy in 1954 and began his career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that same year. King produced four documentary films while on staff, among them "Skid Row" (1956), which won three awards in Canada and United States, and "Pemberton Valley" (1957). He left the CBC in 1958 to become an independent filmmaker, moving to Ibiza, Spain, where he maintained a residence for the next ten years. With colleagues Rolph Blakstad and George Robertson he made "Where Will They Go?" (1959) and "Rickshaw" (1960), which won awards at Leipzig and Vancouver, as well as many feature interviews for the CBC's "Close-Up". In 1960, he spent ten months in Toronto freelancing for "Close-Up" and the CBC's "Quest", for whom he produced and directed "A Matter of Pride" and "Dreams", respectively.
In 1961 King returned to Europe and London, where he formed his own production company, providing crews and equipment for television networks abroad, and producing portraits, profiles, and public affairs shows for the CBC. At the same time, King began making documentary dramas on contract with the CBC, including "Joshua" (1962), shot in Nigeria and written by Nobel winning playwright Wole Soyinka, and "Bjorn's Inferno" and "Running Away Backwards", both in 1964.
With "Warrendale" (1967), King and his colleagues moved into cinema vérité, or direct cinema. "Warrendale" won the "Prix d'art et d'essai" at the Cannes Film Festival, was named top Canadian Film, shared the British Academy's Best Foreign Film Award, won two prizes in Australia, and was named best documentary of 1968 at the New York Critics' Awards. After directing "Warrendale", King moved back to Canada to open up an office in Toronto. He subsequently produced the documentaries "A Married Couple" (1969), "Come on Children (1972)", and "Who's in Charge?" (1983).
King's production credits include the feature film "Who Has Seen the Wind?" (1977), which was based on Patricia Watson's adaptation of W.O. Mitchell's novel and which won the "Grand Prix" at the Paris Film Festival. He also produced the feature films "Silence of the North" (1981) and "Termini Station" (1989). King won acclaim for his direction of many television dramas, including the CBC adaptations of Margaret Laurence's "A Bird in the House" (1974) and Carol Bolt's "One Night Stand" (1978). He also directed episodes for a number of popular television series including "The Road to Avonlea" (1990-94), "Kurt Vonnegut's Monkey House" (1990), "Dracula the Series" (1990), "Danger Bay" (1987-90), and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1987-88).
Aside from his production and direction, Allan King actively participated in the world of Canadian cinema through his involvement in many important associations. He served twice as President of the Directors Guild of Canada, was made Chairman of the Mengen Institute in 1983 and Vice President of the Canadian Association of Motion Picture Producers in 1982, and was at various times a member of the Boards of Directors for the Canadian Cinema Association, Telecanada, Ontario Film and Video Appreciation Society, and the Academy of Canadian Cinema.
First married in 1952 to Phyllis April, in 1970 King married screenwriter Patricia Watson, with whom he later worked on "Who Has Seen the Wind?". In 1987, King married his third wife, screenwriter Colleen Murphy, with whom he collaborated on "Termini Station". Allan King has four children. Mr. King died on June 15, 2009 in Toronto.
