Roberta Morris Purdee

Last updated
Roberta Morris Purdee
Born
Roberta Morris

Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation(s) Film Producer, Documentarian
Years active1980–present
Parents
  • Nancy Kopplin Morris
  • Robert Morris

Roberta Morris Purdee (born September 3, in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American film producer and documentarian.

Contents

Early life and education

Morris Purdee was raised by single mother Nancy Kopplin Morris throughout the midwestern United States. She became a member of the first graduating class of Columbine High School, graduating early. She studied early childhood education in college.

Personal life

In her late teens she married Nathan Purdee. The two supported themselves through college by working as bounty hunters in Denver, Colorado. They eventually moved to Los Angeles so that Purdee could pursue a career as an actor. The two divorced in the 1980s, but remarried in 1991 and moved to New York City to begin Purdee's tenure on One Life to Live and raise their newborn son Taylor A. Purdee. As of 2019 she resides in Pennsylvania with her husband. [1]

Career

After moving to Los Angeles Morris Purdee began working as assistant to Academy Award winning actor/director Lee Grant. While spending the next few years assisting Grant and fellow Oscar nominee Brenda Vaccaro, she became a script reader within the Hollywood Studio System before moving to New York to work as production coordinator on a number of studio films, independent films, television films, and documentaries. [2]

While continuing to work with Grant and husband Joseph Feury she began producing films, and eventually opened her own production company with her husband Nathan Purdee. The two groups worked together on a number of documentaries and narrative films for HBO, Lifetime, PBS, and Disney.

In the late 90s Purdee's Karmic Release Ltd. began to strike out on its own, producing the documentary film Wallowitch & Ross: This Moment , an intimate, musical portrait of New York Cabaret legend John Wallowitch and partner Bertram Ross, who had been Martha Graham's star dancer and co-director of the Graham Company. Directed by her brother Richard Morris and crediting both his wife, costume designer Sue Gandy and Nathan Purdee as producers as well, Wallowitch & Ross: This Moment went on to be shortlisted for the 1999 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. [3] [4] [5]

Morris Purdee teamed up again with Feury/Grant in the early 2000s to produce "...A Father...A Son...Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", the story of the Douglas Hollywood dynasty begun by Kirk Douglas, and the groundbreaking Baghdad ER for HBO, which went on to win 4 Emmys, a Peabody, and the Dupont-Columbia. [6] [7]

During this era Morris Purdee also produced a series of specials for Sesame Workshop and the documentary Praying with Lior , and worked with Jonathan Caouette on his seminal film Tarnation . Her solutions to the political and logistical struggles faced while producing Baghdad ER and the extensive roadblocks faced when clearing rights to the near endless pop culture imagery that is woven into the fabric of Tarnation have been lectured on at Yale and Lehigh University. [8] [9]

In 2011 she began working more closely with son Taylor A. Purdee. The two have produced two feature length films together: the documentary This is Honduras , and the musical film Killian & the Comeback Kids, which stars both Taylor and Nathan Purdee, as well as a number of specials, shorts, and re-releases. The features, both directed by Taylor, were expected to be released theatrically in 2020. [10] [11]

In 2014 Blue Rider Press published Lee Grant's memoirs as I Said Yes To Everything , edited by Morris Purdee. The two began work on the book in 2009. The book has seen multiple printings and been placed on the Entertainment Weekly "Must List," Apple's "Best of 2014," and been named an Editor's Favorite book by Amazon. [12] [13] [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Grant</span> American actress and director

Lee Grant is an American actress, documentarian, and director. For her film debut in 1951 as a young shoplifter in William Wyler's Detective Story, Grant earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and won the Best Actress Award at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival. Grant won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Warren Beatty's older lover in Shampoo (1975).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Radziwill</span> American socialite and sister of Jackie Kennedy Onassis

Caroline Lee Bouvier, later Canfield, Radziwiłł, and Ross, was an American socialite, public relations executive, and interior decorator. She was the younger sister of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and sister-in-law of President John F. Kennedy. Radziwill was married three times, each marriage ending in divorce.

John Wallowitch was an American songwriter and cabaret performer. He wrote over 2,000 songs; his works include "Bruce", "Come a Little Closer", "I See the World Through Your Eyes", "Back on the Town" and "Mary's Bar". For over 50 years he played and sang a catalogue of original songs at nightspots around New York City. He is also known for his sophisticated takes on the songs of Irving Berlin.

Dinah Manoff is an American stage, film, and television actress and television director. She is best known for her roles as Carol Weston on Empty Nest, Elaine Lefkowitz on Soap, Marty Maraschino in the film Grease, and Libby Tucker in both the stage and film adaptations of I Ought to Be in Pictures, for which she won a Tony Award.

Arnold Manoff was an American screenwriter who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s.

<i>Down and Out in America</i> 1986 American film

Down and Out in America is a 1986 American Oscar-winning documentary film directed by Academy Award winner Lee Grant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila Nevins</span> American television producer

Sheila Nevins is an American television producer and head of MTV Documentary Films division of MTV Studios. Previously, Nevins was the President of HBO Documentary Films. She has produced over 1,000 documentary films for HBO and is one of the most influential people in documentary filmmaking. She has worked on productions that have been recognized with 35 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, 42 Peabody Awards, and 26 Academy Awards. Nevins has won 31 individual Primetime Emmy Awards, more than any other person. She is also a member of the Peabody Awards board of directors, which is presented by the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Donahue (filmmaker)</span> American film director and producer

Tom Donahue is an American film director, producer, and co-showrunner. His work as writer, director, and showrunner includes the Paramount Plus Original docuseries Murder of God's Banker and the upcoming six-part docuseries Mafia Spies, based on the 2019 book by Thomas Maier about the CIA-Mafia assassination plots against Fidel Castro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Feury</span> American actress (1924–1985)

Peggy Feury was an American actress on Broadway, in films, and on television. She became a highly regarded acting teacher in New York and then in Los Angeles. Throughout her career, she taught many notable students.

Killian & the Comeback Kids is a 2020 American folk-rock musical film written and directed by Taylor A. Purdee. The film stars Purdee, John Donchak, Nathan Purdee, and Kassie DePaiva along with an ensemble cast that features Maddi Jane and Lee Grant. Killian & the Comeback Kids follows a mixed-race musician who finds himself back in his struggling rural hometown after graduating from an expensive university. The film's screenplay and original music have been preserved by The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences' permanent archive.

Taylor Armstrong Purdee is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and songwriter. He is best known for creating the musical film Killian & the Comeback Kids, as well as for his work preserving the documentary films of Academy Award winning actor/director Lee Grant. He is the first biracial director/star of African American descent to have a narrative film theatrically released in America in the 21st Century.

Joseph Feury is an American film and television producer, documentary filmmaker, painter, actor, stage dancer, and Academy Award winner. He is the husband of Academy Award winning actor/director Lee Grant and step-father to Tony Award winner Dinah Manoff. He and Grant are the parents of Belinda Fioretti.

What Sex Am I? is a 1985 documentary film directed by Academy Award winner Lee Grant. The film follows a group of transgender individuals in mid-1980's America. Originally aired on HBO, the film is notable for its educated and sympathetic treatment of its subject, more in line with 21st century sentiment than those of the 1980s.

When Women Kill is a 1983 documentary film directed by Academy Award winner Lee Grant. The film explores life inside several women's prisons across the United States and the circumstances that led to the incarceration of a variety of inmates. Originally aired on HBO, the film is notable for its sympathetic, if level headed treatment of its characters. The film features women incarcerated for crimes ranging from drug use to first degree murder. A portion of the film follows Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten. Grant has spoken at length about the Manson family and the murder of her Valley of the Dolls co-star Sharon Tate.

Battered is a 1989 documentary film directed by Academy Award winner Lee Grant. The film is an investigation of domestic violence in American homes. Originally aired on HBO, the film is notable for its level headed look at abusers as well as victims.

Women on Trial is a 1992 documentary film directed by Academy Award winner Lee Grant. The film follows a group of women navigating the family court system in Texas. Originally scheduled to aired on HBO, the film played only a single night before being pulled from the public after inciting a million dollar lawsuit initiated Texas family court judge Charles Dean Huckabee. The story unfolds as woman after woman loses custody of her children to fathers who have either a documented history of abuse, or admittedly do not want custody of the children.

Wallowitch & Ross: This Moment is a 1998 documentary musical film directed by Richard Morris. The film follows acclaimed composer and cabaret performer John Wallowitch and partner Bertram Ross, Martha Graham's lead dancer and co-director of the Graham Company. The film was shortlisted for the 1999 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Hope Runs High is an American film distribution company. They began preserving and distributing out-of-print documentary films digitally before expanding to narrative and first-run theatrical films. A unique element of their library is that much of it focuses on films by women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers and subjects. The company also houses a small record label that releases movie soundtracks and film scores.

<i>Generation</i> (TV series) 2021 American dramedy television series

Generation is an American dramedy television series that premiered on HBO Max on March 11, 2021. In September 2021, the series was canceled after one season.

Broadway Brawler is an unfinished romantic comedy film that was to star Bruce Willis and Maura Tierney and be directed by Lee Grant. It was produced by Willis and Joseph Feury for Cinergi Pictures, and was to have been distributed by The Walt Disney Company in 1997.

References

  1. ↑ "Roberta Morris Purdee". IMDb. Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Acclaimed Local Female Filmmakers Focus of 'Artists Among Us' Roundtable Nov. 2 at SteelStacks — SteelStacks" . Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
  3. ↑ Loewenstein, Lael (January 22, 1999). "Wallowitch & Ross: This Moment" . Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Roberta Morris-Purdee". BFI. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  5. ↑ Call, PAUL WILLISTEIN, The Morning (30 April 1999). "DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR IS GETTING HIS MOMENT". themorningcall.com. Retrieved October 4, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "Valley woman produces HBO's graphic 'Baghdad ER'". 21 May 2006.
  7. ↑ Bellafante, Ginia (May 20, 2006). "In 'Baghdad ER,' the War Is Brought In, Stretcher by Stretcher". The New York Times. Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
  8. ↑ Orr, Christopher (Jun 7, 2005). "The Movie Review: 'Tarnation'". The Atlantic. Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
  9. ↑ Campbell, Christopher (Jul 26, 2011). "Documentary Classics: "Tarnation" is Better Appreciated With Age" . Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Pennsylvania on the road". Jul 13, 2018. Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
  11. ↑ KANO, KRISTA S. (21 September 2016). "Chagrin Falls: A film about Honduras for Hondurans: 25-year-old producer profiles murder capital of the world". Chagrin Valley Today. Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
  12. ↑ Chaney, Jen (Jul 3, 2014). "Lee Grant: 'I Said Yes to Everything' — including a facelift (but don't ask her age)". The Washington Post. Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Review: 'I Said Yes to Everything: A Memoir' by Lee Grant". HuffPost. Aug 26, 2015. Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Undeterred By The Blacklist, Lee Grant 'Said Yes To Everything'". NPR.org. Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
  15. ↑ Lowry, Brian (Aug 10, 2005). "A Father … a Son … Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" . Retrieved Oct 4, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.