This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Ken Gord | |
---|---|
Born | Kenneth Steven Gord February 25, 1949 |
Occupation(s) | Film and television producer |
Years active | 1973–present |
Kenneth Steven Gord (born February 25, 1949) is a Canadian film and television producer.
Gord was born in Toronto, Ontario. His parents, Henry and Goldie Gord, were also native Torontonians and Ken was their middle child. Gord graduated from Bathurst Heights Secondary School and then enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts program at the University of Toronto but dropped out after completing the second of three years. He teamed up with two friends and began promoting rock concerts. On October 3, 1969, they successfully brought Johnny Winter to Massey Hall and on October 14, 1969, they brought The Who to the Canadian National Exhibition Colisseum to perform their rock opera Tommy . Other bands brought to Toronto included The Byrds and Pentangle.
Gord became involved in the film industry in Toronto, Ontario in the early 1970s. He produced the ultra-low budget Dream On The Run in 1973 and was production manager on another no-budget Canadian feature Point of No Return. In 1977, he produced the low-budget sci-fi film Starship Invasions, which was distributed by Warner Bros. and in 1979, The High Country for Crown International. He continued to production manage and/or line produce other low-budget films and television shows. Some examples include Deadly Eyes, Loose Screws, Recruits, Busted Up, Mr. Nice Guy, The Housekeeper, The Edison Twins and The Brain, through the 1980s.
In 1986, he was co-producer on Criminal Law, the first feature directed by Martin Campbell, starring Gary Oldman and Kevin Bacon. The movie was produced for Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Warner Bros. In 1988, he was the Canadian Executive in Charge of Production on the mini-series Day One, for CBS and Aaron Spelling Productions, which won an Emmy in 1989 for Best Drama Special. In 1991 and 1992, Gord produced two seasons of the CBS late-night crime show Tropical Heat (aka Sweating Bullets) in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and Eilat, Israel.
This led him to what he was perhaps best known for, as the producer of the hit syndicated series Highlander: The Series , which filmed six seasons through the 1990s. Mr. Gord was brought in at the beginning of Season 2 [1] and stayed as the creative producer until the last episode was filmed in Paris in 1998. The series was nominated for a Canadian Gemini Award as Best Dramatic Series in 1996. [2]
Since then, he has produced other syndicated series, such as the Paris episodes of Relic Hunter and a season of Queen of Swords , shot in Almeria, Spain at Texas Hollywood. He has also produced over twenty mini-series and television movies for CBS, the Fox Network, UPN, Global Television Network, CTV, Lifetime Network, Paramount Television, Paxnet, Sat-1, Turner Broadcasting, and CLT-ufa. These included CBS's Daughter of Darkness , which starred Anthony Perkins and Model By Day, starring Famke Janssen.[ citation needed ] In 2006, he produced Eight Days to Live , which was the most successful in-house television movie ever broadcast on CTV, and also broke records on the Lifetime Network. It was nominated for a Canadian Gemini Award as Best Television Movie in 2007. [3]
In 2007, Gord produced Stuck , directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea to critical acclaim. The New York Times called it a "...grim, expert little thriller..."[ citation needed ]
He produced XIII: The Conspiracy , a 4-hour mini-series based on the graphic novel of the same name, starring Val Kilmer. It aired on NBC in Canada during the winter of 2009. [4]
Features as producer:
Features as unit production manager:
TV series, pilots, television movies, miniseries as producer or executive in charge of production:
TV series, pilots, television movies, miniseries as unit production manager:
Documentaries:
Head of production:
Writer:
The Eleventh Hour is a Canadian television drama series which aired weekly on CTV from 2002 to 2005.
Sherry Miller is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Jane on the CTV drama E.N.G. (1990), as Jennifer Taylor on the Showtime drama Queer As Folk (2000–2005), and as Dorothy O'Sullivan on the Global teen drama The Best Years (2007–2009).
Night Heat is a Canadian police crime drama series that aired on both CTV in Canada and CBS in the United States. Original episodes were broadcast from 1985 to 1989. Night Heat was the first Canadian original drama series that was also aired on a United States television network during its original broadcast. It was also the first original, first-run drama series to be aired during a late night time slot on a television network in the United States.
Highlander: The Series is a science fantasy action-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the eponymous "Highlander". It was co-produced by Rysher Distribution in the United States, Gaumont Television in France, Reteitalia in Italy, RTL Plus in Germany, and Amuse Video in Japan. An alternate sequel to the 1986 feature film Highlander, it features a storyline in which the protagonist of that film has not won "the Prize" sought by all Immortals, who still exist post-1985. Christopher Lambert reprised his role as Connor in the pilot episode, which introduced series protagonist Duncan MacLeod, an Immortal who was taken in by the same clan of Scottish Highlanders who had found and raised Connor generations before.
The second season of the international fantasy series Highlander: The Series, part of the Highlander franchise, consists of 22 episodes produced between 1993 and 1994. The first episode of the season aired on September 27, 1993 in broadcast syndication and the last aired on May 23, 1994. The series continues to follow the adventures of Duncan MacLeod, a 400-year-old Immortal who can only die if he is beheaded. MacLeod is involved in the Game, an ongoing battle during which all Immortals have to behead each other until only one is left.
The second season of Degrassi: The Next Generation, a Canadian serial teen drama television series, commenced airing in Canada on 29 September 2002 and concluded on 23 February 2003, consisting of twenty-two episodes. This season depicts the lives of a group of eighth and ninth grade school children as they deal with some of the challenges and issues teenagers face such as child abuse, hormones, date rape, body image, hate crimes, sexual identity, alcoholism, and protests. This is the first season to feature high school students from grade nine and the last season to feature middle school students.
The seventh season of Degrassi: The Next Generation commenced airing in Canada on 14 January 2008, concluded on 23 June 2008, and consists of twenty-four episodes. Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian serial teen drama television series. This season takes place during the winter/spring semester of the school year that began in season six and continues to depict the lives of a group of high school sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduates as they deal with some of the challenges and issues young adults face, such as rape, school violence, cancer, drug use, prostitution, sexual misconduct, racism, sexism, parenthood, HIV and relationships.
Flashpoint is a Canadian police procedural television series created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern for CTV, CBS and Ion Television. The series starred Hugh Dillon, Amy Jo Johnson, David Paetkau, Sergio Di Zio, and Enrico Colantoni. The series premiered on CTV in Canada on July 11, 2008. In the United States, the first three seasons and part of the fourth were aired on CBS from July 11, 2008, until August 19, 2011. The show then aired on Ion Television starting on October 18, 2011, with the eighth episode of the fourth season. The series was distributed internationally by Alchemy Television and Tele München Group.
Ken Girotti is a Canadian television director who was nominated for a 2006 Gemini Award in the category "Best Direction in a Dramatic Series" for the TV series ReGenesis.
Les Harris is a Canadian television producer and filmmaker.
The ninth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation premiered in Canada on October 4, 2009, concluded on July 16, 2010, and consists of twenty-three episodes. Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian serial teen drama television series. Although only one school year passed in the story timeline since season six, season nine is set in the spring semester in which the years it aired. Writers have been able to use a semi-floating timeline, so that the issues depicted are modern for their viewers. This season continues to depict the lives of a group of high school freshmen, juniors and seniors, and graduates as they deal with some of the challenges and issues that young adults face such as drug abuse, sexting, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual identity, homosexuality, crime, sex, and relationships.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's 10th Gemini Awards was held on March 3, 1996 to honour achievements in Canadian television. The awards show, which was hosted by Albert Schultz, took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and was broadcast on CBC Television.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's 9th Gemini Awards were held on March 5, 1995 to honour achievements in Canadian television. The awards show, which was hosted by Paul Gross and Tina Keeper, took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and was broadcast on CBC Television.
Allan Novak is a Canadian television director and editor.
Graham Ludlow is a Canadian actor, executive, screenwriter and producer. Ludlow was born in England but grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. He graduated from Magee Secondary School.
Tim Southam is a Canadian television and film director.
The 26th Gemini Awards was held on September 7, 2011 to honour achievements in Canadian television. The ceremony was broadcast live from the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto, and aired on CBC Television. The show was hosted by Russell Peters, and included live musical performances by Jim Cuddy, Deborah Cox and City and Colour.
David Devine is a film director and producer, specialising in children's films. He was the co-founder and CEO of Devine Entertainment between 1994 and 2013, where he created original content for film, television and digital media.
Ronald Bruce Pittman is a Canadian television and film director best known for directing the 1987 slasher Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II. He also directed the 1989 film Where the Spirit Lives, which won the Gemini Award for Best TV movie and numerous international awards.
Ilana C. Frank is a Canadian film and television producer and founder of ICF Films, best known for producing the award-winning series The Eleventh Hour, Rookie Blue, and Saving Hope. The Eleventh Hour, which she executively produced and co-created, won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Dramatic Series in 2003 and 2005, and was nominated for over 30 Gemini Awards, winning in all major categories.
Probably one of the biggest influences in the show's second season was the addition of producer Ken Gord.