Gordon Hunt (director)
Gordon Edwynn Hunt (April 26, 1929 – December 17, 2016) was an American recording, voice, television and stage director, producer, writer, actor and voice actor.
Gordon Hunt | |
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| Born | Gordon Edwynn Hunt April 26, 1929 Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 2016 (aged 87) Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Recording director, voice director, television director, stage director, producer, writer, actor, voice actor |
| Years active | 1959–2016 |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Elizabeth Novis (divorced) B.J. Ward
( m. 1995) |
| Children | Helen Hunt |
| Relatives | Peter H. Hunt (paternal half-brother) |
He directed such animated productions as The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, Super Friends, The Richie Rich Show, The Smurfs, Pound Puppies, Tom & Jerry Kids, The Pirates of Dark Water, Droopy, Master Detective and The New Adventures of Captain Planet.
Early life and career
Hunt was born in Sherman Oaks, California, the son of Helen F. (née Roberts; originally Rothenberg) and George Smith Hunt II, an industrial designer. He also had a younger half-brother, director and lighting designer Peter H. Hunt. His mother was from a German Jewish family. His father was from Minnesota, and was a Mayflower descendant, of English origin.[1][2]
He had been working as a freelance director in New York before being hired to work at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, where he served as their casting director for ten years. He was then hired by Joseph Barbera to direct animated series at Hanna-Barbera. His first voice directing job was Partridge Family 2200 A.D. in 1974.[3]
With a prestigious twenty-year career at Hanna-Barbera, Hunt was now prominent in the voiceover forum, where he was a freelance director for multiple animated productions and video games. As a voice actor, he voiced the character of Wally in the animated adaptation of the comic strip Dilbert. He has often worked alongside colleague voice directors Ginny McSwain, Andrea Romano, Kris Zimmerman and Jamie Thomason. McSwain, Romano and Zimmerman had studied under him as animation casting directors and learned the profession from Hunt before becoming voice directors themselves. Andrea Romano considers him to be her mentor, who makes actors feel so comfortable and relaxed that she said, "Nobody does not like Gordon".[4]
He directed many television series, of which most were situation comedies. In 1996, he received the Directors Guild of America Award; "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series" for Mad About You's episode The Alan Brady Show. Hunt also voice directed multiple video games. Among the games he worked on are Pandemonium, the God of War series, Lair, Final Fantasy XIV, Blur, the Legacy of Kain series, and the Uncharted series. He also served as motion capture director on Uncharted: Golden Abyss.
Personal life
He was the father of actress Helen Hunt[5] from his marriage to photographer Jane Elizabeth Novis; they later divorced. He later married voice actress B.J. Ward in 1995, they remained married until Hunt's death in 2016.[5]
Death
Hunt died on December 17, 2016 from Parkinson's disease at the age of 87.[6][5]
Filmography
Recording director
Animated specials and movies
Animated shorts
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Duxorcist | Daffy Duck cartoon |
| 1988 | The Night of the Living Duck | Daffy Duck cartoon |
| 1998 | Chicken Little |
Video games
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Pandemonium | |
| Blazing Dragons | ||
| 1999 | Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver | |
| 2001 | Soul Reaver 2 | |
| 2002 | Blood Omen 2 | |
| 2003 | Star Trek: Elite Force II | |
| The Italian Job | ||
| Legacy of Kain: Defiance | ||
| 2004 | ShellShock: Nam '67 | |
| Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone | ||
| 2005 | SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs | |
| SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo | ||
| 2006 | Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend | |
| SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2 | ||
| SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault | ||
| 2007 | God of War II | |
| Uncharted: Drake's Fortune | ||
| Tomb Raider: Anniversary | ||
| Lair | ||
| 2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | |
| 2010 | God of War III | |
| God of War: Ghost of Sparta | ||
| Final Fantasy XIV | ||
| Blur | ||
| 2011 | Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | |
| Uncharted: Golden Abyss |
Actor: animated and film roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Crimes of Passion | Group Leader | Live-Action role |
| 1985 | Waiting to Act | Acting Coach Lars | Live-Action role |
| 1989 | Cheers | Gordon | Episode: "The Two Faces of Norm" |
| 1991 | (Blooper) Bunny | Director / Man in Audience / Movers | Animated short |
| Trancers II | Mustard Man | Live-Action role | |
| 1992–1993 | The Addams Family | Additional voices | Animated series |
| 1992–1995 | Capitol Critters | Additional voices | "The KiloWatts Riot" |
| 1993 | Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby | Additional voices | Television animated movie |
| 1993–1994 | Bonkers | Additional voices | "A Woolly Bully," "Fall-Apart Land" |
| 1998 | Mad About You | TV Host | Episode: "Paul Slips in the Shower" |
| 1999–2000 | Dilbert | Wally | Animated series |
| 2013 | I Know That Voice | Himself | Documentary |
References
- Helen Hunt ancestry
- Robinson, George (2008-02-13). "Then She Found Me'". The New York Jewish Week. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
- Gilbert-Hill, Richard (March 16, 2005). "Interview with Gordon Hunt, Director, Part 1". Now Casting.
- "Talking Toons With Rob Paulsen: Episode 16 with Guest: Andrea Romano". Talking Toons With Rob Paulsen.
- Steve Marble (2016-12-20). "Gordon Hunt, director, voice actor and father of Helen Hunt, dies at 87. - LATimes.com". latimes.com. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gordon-hunt-dead-director-father-helen-hunt-was-87-957833
External links
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