Topper Carew

Last updated
Topper Carew
Born
Colin Anthony Carew [1]

(1943-07-16) July 16, 1943 (age 82)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationYale (B.Arch, M.S.)
Occupation(s)Television producer, screenwriter, television writer, film director
Years active1980–present
SpouseAlyce Sprow (1982-2001, dec.)
Children2

Colin Anthony "Topper" Carew [1] (born July 16, 1943) [1] is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life

Carew was born in Boston, Massachusetts, [5] and raised in the Roxbury section of Boston. He attended John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science. [6] He initially went to college at Howard University, and later transferred to Yale, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Architecture and a master's degree in Environmental Design. [7] He also has a Doctorate in Communications from the Union Graduate School/Institute for Policy Studies. [7]

Career

Carew began his career making documentary films about the relationship between ethnic neighborhoods and the surrounding architecture. [7] In 1966, he founded The New Thing Art and Architectural Center in Washington, D.C., and it became a community hub in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, hosting music, dance, and various youth programs. [8]

In 1972, he worked at WGBH-TV. [5]

In 1974, he co-founded the non-profit Rainbow Television Workshop in with his late wife, Alyce S. Carew. [5] [9]

He was a Community Fellow at MIT, [5] and a Broadcast Fellow at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. [7]

In 2018, he became a faculty fellow at Spelman College's Innovation Lab. [5]

He directed and/or produced several films, including Talkin' Dirty After Dark , D.C. Cab , Breakin’ N’ Enterin’ (1983), and Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool! (1984). [5]

He was the creator and executive producer of the television series Martin . [6] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Personal life

Carew was married to Alyce Sprow Carew, [5] who died from breast cancer in 2001. [9] The couple has two daughters, Cicely and Lena Carew. [9]

Honors and awards

His honors include the "National Media Hero Award," a 2013 MIT Martin Luther King Leadership Award, and more than 40 film and television awards, including four NAACP Image Awards and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. [5]

Filmography

Film

YearNameRoleNotes
1970This Is the Home of Mrs. Levant GrahamDirector, ProducerShort documentary
1972 A Luta Continua NarratorDocumentary
1983Breakin' 'N' Enterin'DirectorDocumentary
D.C. Cab Story / Producer
1984 Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool! Producer Direct-to-video
1985And the Children Shall LeadProducer Made-for television
1989A Little Bit StrangeExecutive producerMade-for-television
1991 Talkin' Dirty After Dark Director / Screenwriter
2006We Don't Die, We Multiply: The Robin Harris StoryDirectorDirect-to-video documentary

Television

YearNameRoleNotes
1980The Righteous ApplesProducer11 episodes
1987 Bustin' Loose Executive producer27 episodes
1989 Homeroom Executive producer13 episodes
1992-97 Martin Creator / Executive producerCreated 132 episodes / Produced 27 episodes
1998 The Journey of Allen Strange Director2 episodes
1998 Cousin Skeeter DirectorEpisode "Miracle on 32nd Skeet"
2000-02 The Jersey Director3 episodes
2001-02 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd Director2 episodes

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Birth date and residence search results for Colin Anthony ("Topper") Carew". FamilySearch.org. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  2. ↑ "BLACK WRITERS AND PRODUCERS ARE WIDENING THEIR FOCUS". The New York Times . 1983-05-29.
  3. ↑ O'Connor, John J. (1992-11-03). "Review/Television; A Macho Image for a Sensitive Soul". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ Ltd, Earl G. Graves (1 April 1980). "Black Enterprise". Earl G. Graves, Ltd. – via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ellis, Dwight (February 8, 2024). Topper Carew: Hollywood Film Director & MIT Media Lab Scientist. Bowie State University.
  6. 1 2 Lunis, Kwani A. (March 10, 2024). Martin' co-creator, ‘a son of Roxbury,' on education, constructing a life of purpose: Roxbury native Topper Carew shares his journey from the John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science to Howard University, Yale and M.I.T. led to two successful careers, in Hollywood and in architecture. NBC10 Boston.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Colin "Topper" Carew. Former Visiting Scholar. MIT Media Lab. https://www.media.mit.edu/people/tcarew/overview/
  8. ↑ Carew, Topper. "The New Thing Art and Architectural Center (1966- )". Black Power Chronicles. SNCC Legacy Project. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 Oliver, Myrna (July 7, 2001). Alyce S. Carew; TV Producer Promoted Diversity. Los Angeles Times.
  10. ↑ Hill, Michael E. (23 August 1992). "'MARTIN' A LONG LEAP FROM LANDOVER TO HOLLYWOOD". The Washington Post .
  11. ↑ "Breaking down the color barrier. Producer Topper Carew uses TV to help shape values". The Christian Science Monitor . 2 February 1988.
  12. ↑ Zauzmer, Julie (2018-03-30). "The ancient ritual". PressReader . The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  13. ↑ Robbins, Michael W. (1 March 1971). "The Neighborhood and the Museum". Curator: The Museum Journal. 14 (1): 63–68. doi:10.1111/j.2151-6952.1971.tb00422.x.
  14. ↑ Ltd, Earl G. Graves (1 September 1987). "Black Enterprise". Earl G. Graves, Ltd. – via Google Books.
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